Carinthian Must Remain in Prison Longer After Bomb Threats

"Do you have any previous convictions?" asked Judge Sabine Götz at the beginning of the proceedings against the 21-year-old. "Four," the defendant quietly replied. A "No" would have been a brazen lie, as one of these actions had even brought the young man to the Rottenstein correctional facility last year. There, with a smuggled phone, some of the offenses took place that were the subject of the current trial.

Carinthian had made bomb threats using a smuggled phone

From August 2024 to January 2025, the police received emails with bomb threats. Three times, the Rottenstein correctional facility branch in the district of St. Veit an der Glan was the target of the threats. Explosive experts, service dog handlers with bomb-sniffing dogs, and other officers searched the entire premises but found nothing. The 21-year-old also triggered an operation due to "swatting." In "swatting," the police are sent to a private address under the pretense of usually serious crimes. In this case, the man claimed he would "kill his roommate, his animals, and himself." He also said he had placed a bomb in his apartment. This led to a spectacular police operation: the door was even broken down at the given address until it was clear that it was a fake report.

"I'm really sorry. I don't quite know why I did it. It just happened," the man began an attempt to explain. "No, it doesn't just happen like that," the judge cut him off. It might be that he was bored, the defendant suggested, and he wanted to make amends for the damage. That would be a mammoth task, the judge noted: "The entire rescue apparatus was engaged, people have far better things to do than to be involved in your boredom." The Carinthian was also accused of pretending to want to sell a phone - he had collected 930 euros but did not deliver the phone. Together with an acquaintance, he had also attempted to steal darts from a store.

Five months unconditional for Carinthian after bomb threats from prison

"It's not getting any easier with you," Judge Götz began her reasoning for the verdict. "You are currently in custody, you should have understood that you cannot treat the world as you please. And then you do such things." In her opinion, the prosecution's request was also lenient - because only coercion and not severe coercion was charged, the penalty range was up to a maximum of one year in prison. However, in the case of the 21-year-old, a conditional release is revoked, which means he must serve more than six months in prison. A conditional suspension was no longer an option. After a brief consultation with his defense attorney, the man accepted the verdict. The phone he smuggled into prison will be confiscated, by the way. The verdict was initially not legally binding.

(APA/Red)

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