Austria dismisses two police trainees over ISIS jokes

The Austrian Ministry of the Interior has terminated the employment of two female police trainees following the discovery of messages in which they jokingly discussed joining the terrorist organization ISIS.

The first trainee, a 27-year-old woman of Afghan descent who has lived in Austria for approximately 25 years, had previously been dismissed. She reportedly expressed intentions to avoid working with male colleagues to the extent required by police duties due to religious reasons. The messages exchanged between the two women included statements such as, “Let’s travel out together and join the Islamic State” and “Repeat after me and you will convert to Islam.”

Following these revelations, a second trainee, aged 23, has also been dismissed. While the State Security and Counter-Extremism Office (LSE) and the prosecutor's office conducted investigations into potential membership in a terrorist organization, authorities stated that no concrete evidence of criminal activity or terrorist affiliation was found. Consequently, the criminal investigations have been dropped.

Federal Police Director Michael Takacs emphasized a zero-tolerance policy toward extremism, stating that individuals who do not share the institution's values or respect its responsibilities cannot remain in the force.