"We will find you": Police provide insights into the bomb threat scene

After the raids in Germany related to numerous bomb threats in Austria two days ago, Austrian investigators have now given insights into the behavior of the partly underage suspects behind them. They reportedly operated in a "loose association" in an almost "hostile environment," where a "certain competition" prevailed. The police sent a message to such groups: "It won't happen immediately, but we will find you."

Police Speak of a "Positive Investigation Case"

This was stated by the deputy director of the Federal Criminal Office (BK), Paul Marouschek, on Thursday during a background discussion in Vienna. He described the role of the Cybercrime Competence Center (C4) located in the BK in this "positive investigation case" as that of a "professional assistance provider." The central investigations that led to the identification and tracking of four suspects in Germany were successfully conducted by officers of the Directorate of State Protection and Intelligence Service (DSN). They were also involved in the raids in Germany, as explained by the deputy DSN director Leopold Holzbauer during the media discussion.

Austria Gains Popularity Among Bomb Threateners Due to Media Attention

One of the DSN investigators explained why Austria, in particular, became the target country for the "swatters" from the "Schweinetreff" messenger group based in Germany: "The internal communication of the perpetrators showed that Austria was interesting as a target country because the media reaction here was considered very high." There were complaints, for example, that bomb threats, which were mainly directed at schools and train stations, could no longer trigger a corresponding response in Germany. According to Holzbauer, the individuals behind the threats were anonymously active in networks: "It was a loose association where it was about recognition," and the visibility in the media created a certain competitive effect.

Professional Approach of the Perpetrators

According to the DSN investigator, the relatively new phenomenon of "swatting" involves triggering large-scale police operations through false emergencies and generating as much media attention as possible. The now identified suspects, aged 16 to 23, acted very professionally, described the officer, who understandably wished to remain anonymous. Of course, bomb threats themselves are not a new phenomenon, "but the character of a 'sporting context' in the background" was indeed surprising. BK office manager Martin Grasel explained what distinguished the suspects from "copycats" or perpetrators of one-time actions. They did not use their own computers when sending emails with bomb threats or threats of rampages and proceeded "technically more skillfully" overall - the young men even reportedly used self-developed, smaller software.

No Solidarity in the Scene

The atmosphere among the "swatters" was not amicable: "There were no friendships or personal relationships within the scene," the DSN investigator described his impressions. Instead, it was an almost hostile environment, with even cases of "doxxing" (the publication of private data for intimidation or extortion, note) and no solidarity. Overall, it was a fast-paced scene with both newcomers and dropouts, the latter of whom also provided insights to the investigators. The investigator's bad news is: "We assume that this system will remain." However, for now, it is time to celebrate the success: Already in September 2025, three suspects were identified by Austrian crime fighting, and now there are a total of seven, to whom more than 300 criminal facts are attributed.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.