Arrests in Lower Austria: Four men identified after theft of copper cables and tools

The investigations by the Lower Austria Criminal Police had begun in June 2026 after a spike in thefts of copper cables and tools was reported in several districts, including Melk and other regions. Given the material value of copper and the broad demand on the scrap market, such cables have increasingly been targeted by organized criminal groups for years.

Trails leading to other federal states

Additional clues about the criminal activity also emerged in Styria, Carinthia, and in the greater Vienna area, according to investigators. The main hotspots of the incidents were recorded in the regions around Graz, Leoben, in the Murtal, and in southeastern Styria. Whether the suspects are also responsible for these offenses is the subject of the ongoing investigation.

The police pointed out that the arrests were the result of targeted investigative work. Tips from the public as well as analyses from the criminal police data network had made it possible to link the individual offenses. The evaluation of the seized evidence and the interrogations were still ongoing at the time of the arrests.

The arrested men will be brought before the responsible detention judge. Possible links to other, supra-regionally registered cable thefts will continue to be investigated, according to sources close to the investigation. Possible buyer networks are also to come under the investigators' scrutiny.

Next procedural steps

Korneuburg prison is the usual reception facility for arrests from northern Lower Austria. The public prosecutor's office will decide on whether to file charges once the investigations are completed. Until then, the presumption of innocence applies to the accused.

With the arrests, the security authorities see an important blow struck against professional non-ferrous metal thefts in eastern Austria. The investigators also emphasized that the evaluation of further tips from the public is expressly welcomed.

In retrospect, the series of copper cable thefts prompted increased checks at scrap yards and near construction sites. As the State Criminal Police Office explained, these measures will be continued. Cooperation with the state criminal police offices of other federal states has also been closely coordinated.