Cobra operation in Bruck an der Leitha: 43-year-old arrested after making death threats against colleagues

During questioning, the 43-year-old confessed to having written the messages. He also stated that he did not own any weapons. According to his own account, the photograph of the gun cabinet came from the internet. The authorities nevertheless assessed the circumstances as a possible danger: "Aufgrund dieser Umstände wurde von einer möglichen Gefährdung ausgegangen", the State Police Directorate explained.

On the order of the Korneuburg Public Prosecutor's Office, the suspect was taken into the local prison. Police described the operation as a result of the overall situation arising from the threats, the photograph, and the unresolved question of whether weapons were actually available.

Investigations by the Korneuburg Public Prosecutor's Office

Police provided no further information on Tuesday regarding the background of the dispute at the construction site or the exact content of the text messages. There was also no information initially available on a possible motive for the suspect. The investigations by the Korneuburg Public Prosecutor's Office are ongoing.

The Cobra tactical unit is the special unit of the Austrian police for serious and armed threat situations and is typically called in when officers must expect to be dealing with an armed perpetrator. The district of Bruck an der Leitha is located in eastern Lower Austria, near the Slovak border.

Background: The role of Cobra as a special unit

Police pointed out in their statement that the investigations had not yet been concluded. Further information could only be provided following the ongoing interrogations and the analysis of the seized mobile phones.

At the time of his arrest, the suspect was at his residential address, according to police. No operation was carried out at the construction site itself. The Slovak workers to whom the threats were directed had given credible accounts of the incident in their statements, the statement continued.

The General Directorate for Public Security informed the public about the case on Tuesday, after the immediate investigative measures had been completed. For tactical investigative reasons, certain details were not yet being made public, the Lower Austria State Police Directorate explained.