Austrian Police Thwart Attack On Vienna Pride Parade

Reuters reports:

Austrian security services said on Sunday they had thwarted a planned attack on Saturday’s pride parade in the capital. Three suspects between the ages of 14 and 20 were arrested on suspicion of planning to attack the parade in Vienna, which was held to celebrate LGBTQ+ rights and attracted around 300,000 people, officials said.

“Through the successful and also timely intervention, we managed to defuse the moment of danger for Vienna Pride and to ensure the safety of all participants,” said Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, Austria’s domestic intelligence chief.

The three suspects – Austrian citizens with Bosnian and Chechen roots – sympathise with the Islamic State militant group, Haijawi-Pirchner said.

The Associated Press reports: 

The trio was arrested before the start of the parade by Austria’s Cobra special forces. The organizers of the Pride parade were only informed about the events on Sunday, after the police raid had already taken place, ORF reported.

“We will not let the enemies of rights for LGBTQI people, democracy and an open society get us down,” the parade’s organizing team said, APA reported.

The rights of the community have recently been “increasingly threatened by backsliding and we have to fight every day for our visibility and safety,” said Ann-Sophie Otte, chairwoman of the Homosexual Initiative Vienna, according to APA.

Three young suspects who had allegedly sympathized with the extremist Islamic State group were arrested before the start of the parade, via @AP https://t.co/YWrQWBDfqr

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