Raid in the ORF center: terrorist warning causes great excitement!

Raid in the ORF center: terrorist warning causes great excitement!

ORF-Zentrum, 1130 Wien, Österreich - On Tuesday, March 25, 2025, the police in the ORF center in the 13th district of Hietzing occurred. Around 5:00 a.m., the police received a threat of attack that required an immediate reaction. A driver of a small truck had blocked the access to the broadcasting center and stated that there was a bomb in the loading room of the vehicle. The driver was immediately arrested, while the security area around the ORF center was closed. The assignment took place in close cooperation with the ORF security team and could be maintained until 8:30 a.m.

Although the center itself was not completely blocked, sub -areas of the building complex had to be cleared. The Ministry of the Interior's defusing service was on site to clarify the situation and exclude any danger.

Security at events and public fear

These events are in the context of a widespread fear of terrorist attacks in everyday life, especially at events and public transport. A survey by Research Affairs from 2017 showed that 88% of Austrians are afraid of terrorist attacks in Europe. Another 89% feel more insecure than in previous years. Despite the statistically low probability of an attack at events in Austria, the subjective feeling of security of the population is strongly pronounced. 57% of those surveyed report that they want more protective measures from the government to prevent feared terrorist attacks.

In the past 40 years, there has been no terrorist attack in connection with events in Austria. Compared to 49,768 traffic fats in the same period, the 20 deaths caused by terrorism are a marginal risk perception. Nevertheless, the number of requests for attacks in Western European countries is increasing, which creates the premise that the fear of the population is often disproportionate to objective danger.

recommendations for organizers

The security planning at events must therefore take into account the discrepancy between subjective perception and objective danger. Experts recommend organizers to include emergency plans in the event of terrorist attacks. Exemplary incidents, such as mass panic in a public viewing in Turin in 2017 with over 1,500 injured, show how important appropriate security measures are in order to be able to react effectively in an emergency.

like vienna.at , the current situation around the ORF center remains not to be reported, even if no explosion or injuries were not reported. The event illustrates the persistent area of tension between perceived and real threat in society.

In addition, the article by Eventfex that the worries of citizens are often disproportionately at the real danger, which underlines the need for robust security concepts for public events and events. Despite the statistical rarity of such attacks, the sensitivity to the topic is still high.