Austrian intelligence thwarts alleged terrorist attack at pride parade
Austria's intelligence agency said Sunday that it had thwarted a potential terrorist attack at a pride parade in Vienna.
Three suspects, aged 14, 17, and 20, were arrested by Austrian police on suspicion of planning an attack on the parade, which took place in the country's capital city on Saturday and attracted an estimated 300,000 people. This makes it one of the largest pride events in Europe.
Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, Austria's head of domestic intelligence, said that law enforcement "managed to defuse the moment of danger for Vienna Pride and to ensure the safety of all participants," per Reuters.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While Haijawi-Pirchner did not provide details on the trio's alleged plan, the Financial Times reported that the suspects had sought to attack parade participants using "air guns, sabers and axes that were seized by police, as well as possibly using a car to drive into the crowd." The suspects had also reportedly made attempts to try and obtain more lethal weapons.
Haijawi-Pirchner said that Austrian law enforcement had been monitoring the group for a while and arrested them after they allegedly took "preparatory actions" for the attack. The three suspects were Austrians of Bosnian and Chechen heritage, and were ISIS sympathizers, Haijawi-Pirchner said. Officials believe the trio was likely radicalized online.
While Islamic terrorism has slowed in the European Union in recent years, "counterterrorism officials across the continent have warned of a resurgence," the Times noted. Europol reported that six Islamic terrorist attacks were "completed, failed, or foiled" in Europe in 2022, a decrease from 13 in 2020. Despite this, "the number of annual arrests of suspected jihadi terrorists by European police agencies has remained constant," the Times reported, hovering around 260 every year.
Officials have continued to caution the re-emergence of faith-based terrorism in Europe, especially at large gatherings like a pride parade.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
Testosterone therapy in women highlights the lack of women’s health researchThe explainer There is no FDA-approved testosterone product for women
-
Magazine solutions - November 7, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 7, 2025
-
Magazine printables - November 7, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 7, 2025
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
