Three people suspected of being involved in an Islamic network were arrested in Austria and Security has been tightened around churches and Christmas markets. due to a “increased risk”, the Austrian authorities announced this Sunday.
According to the Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Austrian Ministry of the Interior stated that, in the framework of an intervention in an Islamic network, four people were arrested on Saturday, three of whom remain deprived of liberty pending further investigations. .
Noting that there is “a greater risk”, The police also intensified controls.especially around churches, religious ceremonies and Christmas markets in Vienna, the capital of Austria.
“There is no immediate threat of attack in Vienna,” the police spokesman said.
On Saturday, the Austrian police reported that “Terrorist actors in Europe call for attacks against Christian events.especially around December 24.”
According to the website of the German newspaper Bild, the security services of Austria, Germany and Spain received indications on Saturday that an Islamic group intends to carry out several attacks in Europe, possibly on New Year’s Eve and Christmas.
According to the newspaper, the targets of these attacks could be Christmas masses in Cologne, Vienna and Madrid, highlighting that one person was arrested in Germany.
Also according to Bild, those detained are Tajiks suspected of wanting to carry out attacks on behalf of the Islamic State (IS) in Khorasan (IS-K), the local branch of the IS in Afghanistan.
Police carried out searches with sniffer dogs on Saturday night at the cathedral in Cologne, Germany, following a “danger warning” issued for New Year’s Eve, but which authorities also took into account for Christmas. However, nothing suspicious was found.
In July, a cell of suspected IS-K Islamists was dismantled in Germany and the Netherlands. Those detained in Germany were suspected of planning an attack in the country.
Source: TSF
