Open Season on Austrian Churches

Earlier this week an Austrian man was arrested after committing serious vandalism at a number of churches and cathedrals in Austria. Below is a translated article from Krone that was posted earlier tonight at Vlad Tepes (see Vlad’s post for photos of some of the damage). Many thanks to Henrik Ræder Clausen for the translation:

Asylum seeker admits vandalism in six churches

A 37-year-old asylum seeker, who was apprehended on Tuesday on suspicion of deliberately causing damage to several Vienna churches, has declared himself comprehensively guilty. The man admitted that in a total of six churches he had destroyed statues and damaged baptismal fonts.

The man had left behind a trail of destruction through Viennese cathedrals. In doing so, he caused massive material damage, which has so far left investigators puzzled. According to police in reference to his statement, the 37-year-old had committed his crimes in Pfarre St. Othmar, Kolonitzplatz, Bezirk Landstraße, in a church at Uhlplatz in the Viennese suburb Josefstadt, in Lazaristenkirche, Neubau, in Pfarrkirche, Neuottakring, in the main cathedral of Saint Stephan, and finally on Tuesday in Barnabitenkirche, Mariahilf.

Caught in the act in St. Stephen’s Cathedral

The man was first arrested on Saturday evening, when the 37-year-old threw the statue of the Holy Judas Thaddeus from its stand. As he tried to escape, intervention by employees held him back. Shortly after, however, the man was released, and only later it was discovered that he had vandalized several other churches. Due to their suspicions, the Vienna legal authorities issued a warrant for his arrest.

Early Tuesday the 37-year-old struck again, damaging two statues in Mariahilfer Pfarrkirche. Shortly thereafter the man was finally apprehended in Traiskirchen, Lower Austria.

The 37-year-old says he was on “tasked by God”

“He has made a complete confession, but is providing very confusing statements about his motivation. The man has stated that he ‘was tasked by God’”, said police spokesman Roman Hahslinger on Tuesday evening. The 37-year-old has explained that according to his belief, man must not create any idols.

“The suspect is not psychotic at the moment, but will be taken to prison”, according to Hahslinger. There is no immediate risk of self-inflicted harm or harm to others, but of course the mental state of the imprisoned will be examined. Political motivations for his vandalism are ruled out.

There are more photos at the original article (in German).

7 thoughts on “Open Season on Austrian Churches

  1. ” Political motivations for his vandalism are ruled out.”
    Of course he has no malicious intents. We should listen to our “democratic” politician they know better even if your eyes tell you otherwise. He will be assessed psychologically and judged unfit to stand trial. Very easy. Open and shut case. He destroyed what he wanted. And others will destroy more. He was arrested so “democracy” is at work. He will be released after two hours for being unfit and not sufficient evidence against him and to maintain social cohesion (read: we are afraid of Muslims to death). Everyone will come off a winner. What a system it better than the devil’s. Only western Europeans have such a superior, super, peerless, clever system.

    • Santa Monica, California didn’t do much better than Austria when the same thing happened there around 9/11. “Mental” was the rationale. All the free rides methinks are putting us out of business. Let’s hope not permanently.

  2. The name of the perp, and/or a mug shot, should clear up the motive: Islam — unless he’s one of those trillions of White Muslims who look like Carrot Top and Robert Redford.

  3. As expected, there was no protest march by Catholics. (Also as expected, there was no “solidarity” march by the muslim community). I have always wondered; whenever a dinky, derelict mosque in Armpitastan gets damaged, the media (at the exhortation of the imams) always proclaim that it was a “major holy site”. Yet, when a definitely major, historic, (and beautiful) holy site cathedral like St. Stephen’s (or St. Mark’s Coptic apostolic cathedral in Cairo, or the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem itself) gets damaged, it is ignored by the media.
    Of course, just like the late James Q. Wilson’s “Broken Window” theory as it described that little vandalistic acts in poor neighborhoods lead to bigger acts characterizing underclass neighborhoods, when should we expect the next act of “mischief by a ‘youth’ of undisclosed religiousity” to hit? One week? One month? Hello, Notre Dame de Paris, Westminster, St. Paul’s , and St. Peter’s!
    Finally, why do muslims keep saying that Al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount is their “3rd Holiest Site” when there is NO evidence that this Mo’ fellow even set foot there and the only rumor that he did sounds like what your pot-addled, guitar-strumming friend typically says when describing hallucinations. (That flying horse thingy, going to Heaven to haggle with God about how many times they have to bow down towards a black rock outhouse, flying back to Mecca to tell his gullible followers; they must have had some righteous ganga back in the 7th Century!). Meanwhile, the Jews who built the Temple Mount and the Temples in the first place, and only have that place as their only #1 Holy site, can’t even step foot up there without being beat up! No fair!

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