Four people were killed and over a dozen others injured, several of them critically, in Monday's attack in the Austrian capital. The 20-year-old perpetrator was shot and killed by police. Authorities have classified the attack as a terrorist incident motivated by Islamist extremism.
All those detained in connection with Monday's terror attack have a migrant background, and some are foreign nationals, Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer has said.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Nehammer also indicated that the arrested persons were between the ages of 18-28, and are under investigation for suspected involvement in a terrorist organization. Police earlier reported that 14 people had been detained in Austria following raids on 18 separate locations.
Nehammer also reported that Slovak officials had informed the Austrian side of the possible purchase of ammunition by the terror suspect inside Slovakia, and said that “something went wrong” and that an “apparent miscommunication” took place between Austrian agencies after the intelligence was received.
The minister blamed his predecessor Herbert Kickl for weakening the capabilities of Austria's domestic intelligence service and causing it “lasting damage.”
Nehammer also reiterated that the attacker had fooled Austria's deradicalization programme “perfectly,” leading to his early release from custody on terrorism-related charges late last year.
