Islamist meeting underscores Austrian intelligence failure over attack
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 [November 09, 2020]
VIENNA (Reuters) - The scale of
Austria's intelligence failure before last week's deadly jihadist attack
in Vienna became clearer on Monday as the Interior Ministry confirmed
the attacker had taken part in a large meeting in the summer that
included Islamists from abroad.
Austria has acknowledged that "intolerable mistakes were made" in the
handling of intelligence on the attacker, a convicted jihadist, who
killed four people in a shooting rampage in the city centre last Monday.
It has previously confirmed that the gunman had tried to buy ammunition
in Slovakia and had met people from Germany who were under observation.
Swiss Sunday newspaper NZZ am Sonntag said two men arrested in
Switzerland in connection with the attack had travelled to Vienna
between July 16 and July 20 to meet the attacker, citing two sources.
"A meeting took place in Vienna among the people (you) addressed from
Germany and Switzerland but there were also people present at the
meeting with the later assailant who were arrested in the context of the
investigation," Director General for Public Security Franz Ruf told a
news conference when asked about the reported July meeting.
"It was a larger circle of people that met. Some spent the night, the
rest then left," he added.
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A woman places flowers at the site of a gun attack in Vienna,
Austria, November 5, 2020. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo
The head of Austria's main domestic intelligence agency for the city
of Vienna has stepped down pending an investigation into what went
wrong.
Austrian intelligence is "traditionally weak and must be
strengthened" as part of an ongoing overhaul, Ruf said.
(Reporting by Francois Murphy; Additional reporting by Michael
Shields in Zurich; Editing by Gareth Jones)
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