Austrian police have arrested three young men suspected of planning an attack on the LGBTI+ Pride March in Vienna, which brought together thousands of people. The young men, between the ages of 14 and 20, are suspected of supporting the Islamic State jihadist organization and were captured before the start of the parade, according to the head of the Austrian intelligence agency, Omar Haijawi-Pirchner.
According to the official, there was “no threat” to those who participated in the march on Saturday, in the center of the Austrian capital.
“They shared extremist content on the Internet. In that context, the suspects pointed to the Pride Parade as a possible target,” the Austrian Interior Ministry said in a statement.
During the arrests on Saturday, authorities found weapons and other evidence against these three Austrians of Chechen and Bosnian origin. The police already knew one of them. They planned to use “blank weapons or vehicles” during the celebration, police told reporters.
Around 300,000 people participated in this parade for the rights of the LGBTI+ community.
In November 2020, an Islamic State sympathizer opened fire in central Vienna, killing four people and wounding 23. It was the first jihadist attack in Austria.
Source: TSF
