Austria arrests six in crackdown on Islamist extremism
Six individuals, aged 14 to 45 (including a 16‑year‑old female), were arrested in Austria as part of a focused anti‑terror operation in May. Authorities carried out 14 house searches, seizing mobile phones, data storage devices, laptops, knives, clothing and propaganda material linked to the Islamic State.
The measures were coordinated by the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence (DSN) together with all nine state offices for security and extremism counter‑measures. A nationwide "Joint Action Day" saw three of the six arrests and additional raids in detention facilities. Over the preceding weeks, 140 reporting obligations, more than 40 threat‑interviews and 15 security dialogues were conducted, largely to safeguard the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna and Lower Austria. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner and Justice Minister Anna Sporrer emphasized the priority of protecting democracy, while DSN director Sylvia Mayer described the actions as an essential early‑warning response to rising online radicalisation.