20-year-old Swiss man behind bomb threats in Austria

GENEVA

A 20-year-old Swiss national is behind several bomb threats in Austria, the country's Interior Ministry said on Monday.

“Thanks to coordinated investigative work by the state security service in cooperation with the public prosecutor's offices in Graz and Linz, an urgent suspect has been identified,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The 20-year-old Swiss national is currently in Switzerland and the judiciary has issued a European arrest warrant for him,” the statement added.

Since Sept. 30, there have been 27 anonymous bomb threats across Austria, all of which were received by e-mail.

The security police operations that followed sometimes led to the evacuation of affected schools, train stations, or shopping centers, as local media reported.

On Sunday, an alarm was raised at the train station in the city of Leoben, which subsequently turned out to be false. The station was initially closed for hours, according to public broadcaster ORF.

Swiss security and judicial authorities are also involved in the investigation to speed up proceedings.

The ministry has not yet provided any information on the motives of the young Swiss man. However, the suspect faces severe penalties under Austrian law.

The alleged perpetrator faces a prison sentence of up to one year or a fine of up to 720 daily rates.

In particularly serious cases, for example, if a large group of people are put in fear by the threat, the perpetrator may even face up to three years in prison under the law.

Also, the perpetrator must pay the costs of the police operation and any damage caused.