Robbery in Lower Austria: Police hold young perpetrators in the duo!

Robbery in Lower Austria: Police hold young perpetrators in the duo!

Wiener Neustadt, Österreich - The police arrested two suspects in a rapid investigation campaign after a series of robberies at petrol stations. In the past few weeks, three raids have been recorded in Lower Austria and Styria, all of which showed a similar mode Operandi. The suspects are two young Afghans, 21 and 16 years old, whose deeds were committed on March 2, April 14 and April 16, 2025. This fueled the discussion about increasing crime, especially among young people, in Austria.

The first raid occurred on March 2 in Wiener Neustadt when a masked perpetrator threatened an employee with a knife and demanded cash. Fortunately, the employee was unharmed, but was strongly intimidated. The second raid, which took place on April 14, was at a motorway service area in Bad Fischau, where another employee was forced to surrender cash under threat. The perpetrator then fled with an escape vehicle.

arrests and investigations

The third attack occurred on April 16 in Schäffern on the A2. Here the perpetrator threatened a petrol station employee and expressed threats to murder before escaping with the prey. The investigation led to a white Citroën box car with Wiener Neustädter license plate, which was discovered near the last robbery. The 21-year-old driver of the escape car was arrested in Oed, Styria, and confessed the three robberies. He stated that he played the captured money.

his 16-year-old accomplice is accused of playing a supportive role in the raids in Bad Fischau and Schäffern by exploring the petrol stations in advance. The accomplice was arrested in Lower Austria on April 17, but denied his participation in the raids. During searches, the civil servants found masking, the clothes used, prayer bags and the murder weapons, including a kitchen knife over 30 cm long.

increase in violent crime

The incidents reflect a worrying development in crime statistics in Austria. In 2024, the number of predatory crimes in Vienna rose by 18.1 % to a total of 1,394 cases. The increase in public locations, which increased from 776 to 952 raids, is particularly striking. Youth crime is also a growing problem, with increasing proportion of young suspects, which the police and society presents with new challenges.

statistics show that in 2024 the total number of suspects 98,996 reached a maximum of two decades. 57.1 % of the perpetrators are foreigners. The police have taken measures to counteract this development, including the establishment of interdisciplinary working groups to combat youth crime.