After a group of young people doused a police car with gasoline in Linz in mid-November and set it on fire, the investigators have now arrested the 20-year-old ringleader. The immediate perpetrators were caught and confessed quickly after the crime, but they gave credible assurance that they had been instigated. As a result, two of them were beaten by accomplices. The thugs were also caught, police reported.
On November 14th, a police car went up in flames in the Ebelsberg district of Linz while the officers checked compliance with the corona rules. Two 16-year-olds and one 20-year-old were investigated as immediate perpetrators. They confessed to the fact – at that time there was apparently even the idea of luring officers into a hiding place, attacking them, possibly even dousing them with gasoline and setting them on fire. The trio was shown at large.
It was clear to the investigators from the start that the three were part of a larger group. In the weeks before, this had repeatedly detonated firecrackers in the south of Linz and struck a racket, thus provoking police operations. These actions were boasted on social media, and the attack on the police car was filmed and posted on the Internet.
The videos made it easier for the police to investigate the perpetrators. They admitted the act, but credibly assured that they had been instigated. Thereupon two of the young people were beaten up by other group members and were instructed to remain silent. The police have now investigated two 16-year-olds who were arrested and transferred to the Linz prison, and a 14-year-old man – he was reported at large – as attackers. In addition, the group’s ringleaders went online. He was arrested by the Cobra on Wednesday and also taken to the prison. So far he has remained silent about the allegations.