The Austrian authorities announced the arrest of an Austrian citizen, in cooperation with the General Directorate for National Surveillance. This is due to suspicion of his connection to the “Islamic State” (ISIS) and his planning of large-scale terrorist attacks in Austria.
The security support provided by the General Directorate for National Surveillance, in the context of this counter-terrorism operation, was praised by the State Secretary responsible for constitutional protection, Georg Lichtenfried, and the Director General of Public Security, Franz Ruf, in a statement issued by the Austrian Ministry of the Interior.
The Austrian officials, in particular, expressed their gratitude to the General Directorate for National Surveillance for its valuable contribution to this case.
The Ministry of the Interior also highlighted, in the statement reported by the Austrian press, that the cooperation between the Austrian Directorate for State Protection and Intelligence and the General Directorate for National Surveillance was “particularly crucial for the success of the investigations.” It emphasized the importance of international cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism.
According to the authorities, the investigations revealed indicators of concrete attack plans, specifically targeting security forces in Austria.
A search operation at the suspect’s home resulted in the seizure of several electronic devices containing propaganda materials for the “ISIS” organization. This includes videos made by the individual, one of which shows him pledging allegiance to the organization.
The Austrian authorities confirmed that the analysis of the seized items is still ongoing, and the investigations are continuing.
