Three raids in the Mühlviertel: Perpetrator unmasked over dating app!

Three raids in the Mühlviertel: Perpetrator unmasked over dating app!

In the Upper Austrian Mühlviertel, three men were targeted in early April 2025 of attacks that are suspected of hate crime motif. The Linz public prosecutor confirmed that the victims were contacted via a dating app and lured to remote places. These are two young men between the ages of 20 and 22, who have obviously been inspired by recently uncovered hate crime cases to plan their attacks. The suspects are currently in custody.

On April 1, 2025, the first incident occurred when the perpetrators met a 25-year-old man from the Linz-Land district. At this meeting they appeared masked and armed with a CO2 pistol and a truck. They forced the victim to hand over his cell phone and lift cash from an ATM. An attempt by the victim to transfer the money by online banking failed. The following night, two other men, 25 and 26 years old, were lured from the districts of Wels-Land and Vöcklabruck to Mauthausen and Langenstein, where the perpetrators only dismantled the car tires of the vehicles.

determination and testimony

A witness who remembered the perpetrator's license plate informed the police, which the suspect's vehicle was able to find. It ensured storm hoods, a gas pressure gun, a folding knife and a baseball bat. The suspects admitted part of the acts, but deny the robbery and claim that the money was offered voluntarily.

The investigators are convinced that the perpetrators may try to distract from the actual robbery. They also stated that they had problems with pedophiles, although the victims in no cases had these tendencies. The dating app used is aimed specifically at homo- and bisexual users, which is particularly worrying in the context of the attacks.

context of the hate crimes

hate crimes are generally recognized as crimes that are motivated by prejudices against characteristics such as breed, religion, sexual orientation or disability. The increase in such attacks, especially on the Internet, throws a shadow on social security. In 2020, over 8,000 hate crime incidents were reported in the United States, which is a significant increase. In other countries, including the United Kingdom, an increase in these cases is also registered, with a large number of incidents take place online.

statistics show that a significant number of hate crimes is directed against the LGBTQ+community, which also underlines the severity of the incidents in the Mühlviertel. The increased visibility and reporting on hate crime cases could inspire others to commit similar acts, which illustrates the urgency of combating such crimes.