The pastor finally called the police. When the officers arrived, the rioters had left. Officially, the police speak of “a youthful prank”.
According to Austrian daily Kurier however, the Austrian domestic intelligence service, known as the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, took over the investigation into the cause.
Accordingly, the suspects are said to be a group of Turkish youths who had met a few hours earlier at Reumannplatz. At this square, there were riots in the form of scuffles and fireworks. The police were able to determine the identity of the Turkish troublemakers.
The group has been identified as a mob of fanatical Islamists. They have been causing unrest in Favoriten, an immigrant district in Vienna located south of the city for months. As a first measure, the Ministry of the Interior sent an additional 50 police officers to monitor and control Favoriten. In addition, in response to the wave of terrorism in France, increased protection of French facilities was ordered, as well as increased surveillance in public places.
The government expressed shock at the incident. “We oppose any form of extremism with all severity, there is no tolerance. We in Austria will never let our right to freedom of religion be destroyed and we will protect the Christian community with all our strengths,” said Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP).
Integration Minister Susanne Raab responded too: “Parallel societies are the breeding ground for violence. We have to fight every form of extremism and Islamism right from the start in order to prevent worse. It is good that the police intervened here immediately and increased their presence in Favoriten.”