Austria takes action, detains suspected extremists amid security concerns

• Austria has arrested three individuals suspected of involvement in an “Islamist network.”
• German police are conducting checks at the entrance of the cathedral in Cologne.
• German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser pledged a firm response to any extremist threat.

Austria announced on Sunday that three individuals were apprehended under suspicion of involvement in an “Islamist network.”

This move comes as both Vienna and Cologne intensify police controls due to heightened security concerns during the Christmas season.

In response to a “danger warning” for New Year’s Eve, German police are conducting stringent checks at the entrance.

Simultaneously, Austrian police have increased their monitoring efforts. Particularly around churches, religious events, and Christmas markets in Vienna, citing an “increased risk.”

The Austrian authorities, while intervening in what they describe as an “Islamist network,” carried out four arrests on Saturday, according to a statement from the interior ministry on Sunday.

A spokesperson for the ministry clarified that three out of the four individuals have been detained pending further investigations.

“There was no immediate threat of an attack in Vienna,” he told the source, declining to comment further.

As per the German newspaper Bild, there has been an arrest in Germany as well. The individuals taken into custody are reported to be Tajiks. They are alleged to have intended to carry out attacks on behalf of Daesh-Khorasan, an affiliate of Daesh operating in Afghanistan.

“Terrorist actors across Europe are calling for attacks on Christian events — especially around December 24th,” Vienna police said in a statement.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser pledged a firm response to any extremist threat.

“We all love our Christmas traditions and won’t allow ourselves to be intimidated or have our way of life hemmed in,” she told regional media group Funke.

However “We take the danger of Islamist terror very seriously and are extremely vigilant,” she said. “Our security authorities have their sights on the Islamist scene and are acting decisively as the current measures show.”

Aside from Austria and Germany, Spain has also received indications suggesting that an extremist group is contemplating multiple attacks in Europe as reported by Bid.

The newspaper suggests that the targets of these potential attacks might include Christmas masses in Cologne, Vienna, and Madrid. Back in July, authorities dismantled a cell of suspected militants associated with Daesh–Khorasan in Germany and the Netherlands. The individuals arrested in Germany during that operation were believed to be planning an attack in the country.

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