Post Office Robber Vienna-Liesing: Arrest Shortly After Hold-Up

The further investigations are being handled by the State Criminal Police Office of Vienna. Officers secured evidence at the scene and interviewed witnesses. According to police, no one was seriously injured in the hold-up.

The arrested man is a man originating from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The citizenship and possible prior convictions of the suspect were initially not part of the police statement.

The post office branch remained temporarily closed after the robbery. Employees of Österreichische Post took care of the customers present and later announced that operations would resume the following day.

Background on the Weapon

Investigators initially provided no further details on the exact course of the crime or the amount of cash stolen. This was to be communicated only after the initial interrogations were completed, according to police sources.

The Mayor of Vienna and the district administration of Liesing expressed dismay at the incident and praised the swift response of the police. In a joint statement, they thanked the emergency services for the rapid success of the manhunt.

Consequences and Next Steps

Police announced that they would have an increased presence in the vicinity of other post office branches in the coming days. Other banks and postal locations in Vienna-Liesing are also to be patrolled more heavily in the coming days in order to prevent possible copycat crimes.

The blank-firing pistol is a weapon freely available for sale in Austria that is approved for private self-defense or sport. The use of such a weapon in a robbery is nonetheless punishable, as the threat of an armed violent crime can fulfill the offense of aggravated robbery even without live ammunition.

The suspect is in police custody and will be brought before the examining magistrate in the coming days. If convicted, he faces a multi-year prison sentence for aggravated robbery.

The case is reminiscent of earlier robberies of post office branches and banks in Vienna, which had repeatedly made headlines in recent years. Vienna police had subsequently intensified their targeted operations against armed robberies.

Residents of the neighborhood reported increased police presence around the affected branch in the evening. Public transport in the immediate vicinity also ran without major disruptions on Tuesday evening.