TRIPwire, 18 December 2019

On 16 December 2019, Austrian Federal Police thwarted a plot to carry out a series of terror attacks in Austria and across Europe, including using an explosive device at a Christmas market in Vienna’s city center and possibly targeting locations in Salzburg, Germany, France, and Luxembourg. The plot involved three individuals, including a ringleader, who was influenced by ISIS ideology. No further details were provided into the alleged plot, and the three suspects are in custody.

TRIPwire, 3 November 2020

On 2 November 2020, at approximately 2000 hours local time, Austrian security services responded after a suspected ISIS sympathizer, armed with an automatic rifle, handgun, and hoax person-borne IED (PBIED), began shooting at civilians in Vienna’s city center. According to authorities, 4 people were killed and at least 22 were injured, some critically, across 6 distinct locations throughout the city center. Authorities shot and killed the suspect, identified as a 20-year-old male who was incarcerated as a juvenile for eight months for attempting to travel to Syria to fight for ISIS. While initial reports suggested the presence of multiple shooters, investigators now believe he was the sole attacker. Authorities searched 18 homes, including the suspect’s apartment, and detained 14 individuals. The investigation is ongoing.

TRIPwire, 4 October 2019

On 1 October 2019, local police responded to reports of a 27-year-old female sustaining serious injuries from an explosion at a private residence in the southern town of Guttaring. Authorities determined that a radio-controlled IED (RCIED) disguised as a package was emplaced in front of the victim’s apartment and detonated when she picked it up. Police arrested the victim’s 28-year-old ex-husband, as well as a 29-year-old male accomplice. Both confessed to constructing the device and the attempted murder. The accomplice emplaced the package in front of the woman’s apartment and rang the doorbell before running off, while the ex-husband remotely detonated the device while hiding nearby. The ex-husband is former military and his accomplice is a current member of the military. Both suspects spent the summer testing explosives in a forest after acquiring components via the internet.

TRIPwire, 8 February 2021

On 3 February 2021, Bahraini security forces responded after suspects emplaced two explosive devices targeting two ATMs in the Nuaim and Jidhafs neighborhoods of Manama, Bahrain’s capital city. Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams performed render safe procedures on both devices, and authorities identified and arrested “a number of suspects” based on forensics gathered from the devices. Investigators believe the two incidents are connected and are treating them as attempted terrorist attacks. Authorities have not disclosed any device details, and the investigation is ongoing.