Three men about dating app in Upper Austria victims of brutal raids!

Three men about dating app in Upper Austria victims of brutal raids!

In the Upper Austrian Mühlviertel, three men who were contacted via a dating app were the goal of attacks. Two young men aged 20 and 22 are said to have used to lure their victims to remote places. During one of the attacks, a 25-year-old was robbed from the Linz-Land district, while the other two men were only the goal of property damage.

The public prosecutor's office Linz confirmed the incidents and took the suspects in custody. Investigators suspect that the perpetrators are free-riders who have been inspired by recently uncovered hate crime cases. This type of crime is a serious problem in today's world, which has a significant increase, especially online.

The incidents in detail

The first attack occurred on April 1, 2025 when the two perpetrators agreed to meet their first victim. At this meeting they appeared masked and armed with a CO2 pistol and a truncheon. They forced the victim to hand over his cell phone and lift cash on an ATM. An online banking transfer failed, however.
On the following night, the suspects attracted another 25-year-old from the Wels-Land district and a 26-year-old from the Vöcklabruck district to Mauthausen and Langenstein, where they were again violent. Here, however, they only disassemble the car tires of the two men.

The exact observation of one of the affected persons could determine the license plate of the suspect, which led to a rapid identification and arrest of the perpetrators. When searching their vehicle, the emergency services found storm hoods, a gas pressure gun, a folding knife and a baseball bat. The two young men expressed that they had problems with pedophiles, although none of the victims fell into this category.

The problem of hate crime

The incidents in the Mühlviertel are not isolated, but are in the context of a growing number of hate crimes worldwide. According to an analysis of examples of hate crimes, these crime are often shaped by prejudices that are directed against ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and other characteristics. In the United States, the rates of the HATE crimes have risen since 2014, with a significant increase in the years until 2020. In Great Britain and Canada, there are similar tendencies, whereby reports on violence against LGBTQ+ individuals and other minorities are particularly alarming.

The dangerous connection between online platforms and HATE crimes is reinforced by the increasing use of social networks. Hate Speech can play a critical role in the incitement to physical violence and has increased significantly in recent years, which makes the need for effective measures to combat such crimes.

The investigation in Upper Austria is currently underway due to severe robbery and property damage, while the company continues to think about the increasing violence and the dangers of Hate Crimes. The incidents in the Mühlviertel show how important it is to campaign against discrimination and prejudices and to ensure the security of all members of society.

For more information on the incidents and the backgrounds, reference is made to the reporting of vienna.at . Additional details are also on Noen.at and statistical insights on Comparitech.com