Large raid against hate crime: 15 arrests in seven federal states!

Large raid against hate crime: 15 arrests in seven federal states!

Graz, Österreich - A massive police operation shakes Austria today! On Friday morning, March 21, 2025, over 400 civil servants are deployed nationwide to take action against a criminal gang that is held responsible for severe “hate crimes”. There were no raids only in Carinthia and Vorarlberg. The commitment, under the direction of the Graz public prosecutor's office, comprises 23 house searches in seven federal states and has so far led to 15 arrests. According to Kleine Zeitung are the alleged perpetrators between the ages of 14 and 26, with the majority from Austria.

background of the raid

The crime network consists of an apparently organized group that specifically attacked homosexual attacks. These self-proclaimed "Pedo-Hunter" are convinced that they have to expose pedophile, but had no real suspicions against their victims, the police said. The deputy state police director Joachim Huber announced that the investigation by several robberies in Graz was initiated in Graz last year. These incidents proved to be part of an extensive complex of Hate Crimes. "The perpetrators used fake accounts to lure their victims into isolated areas, where they were then brutally attacked," said Huber. The police found weapons and drugs during the raids who underline the severity of the allegations.

"These criminal acts represent an urgently needed blow to hate crime," said Brigadier Michael Lohnegger. The extent of the violence that the perpetrators showed the day is terrifying: over 17 incidents relevant to criminal law are known. However, a higher number of unreported cases is suspected, which makes the entire location even more worrying. It is important to the police that there was no concrete danger to the population, while the investigation and raids were carried out, such as 5 minutes reported.