Austria questions 'psychotic' driver who killed three

[Austin]

Austria questions 'psychotic' driver who killed three

AFP
June 22, 2015, 5:41 am

Vienna (AFP) - A "mentally unbalanced" man who ploughed his 4x4 into a pedestrian street in the Austrian city of Graz, killing three people including a young boy, was questioned by authorities on Sunday, prosecutors said.

The 26-year-old showed symptoms of "psychosis" in his first interrogation since he gave himself up to police after his Saturday rampage, though he remained "evasive" in his answers.

A spokesman for the prosecution, Christian Kroschl, said the man would be remanded in custody Sunday and brought before a judge on Monday.

Three of the 34 injured were in critical but stable condition a day after the incident that left Austria in a state of shock and mourning.

The suspect, a father of two, was described as a "mentally unbalanced" man, according to governor Hermann Schuetzenhoefer.

An initial investigation revealed that the driver was known for "acts of violence," which led to him being barred from the family home at the end of May.

Regional police chief Josef Klamminger ruled out a terrorist motive.

"We can say clearly and without doubt that it is an isolated incident without political or extremist motivation," he said.

Austrian President Heinz Fischer said Saturday he was "deeply shocked" by the attack.

"The wounds will be difficult to heal, it will take time," Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said during a visit Sunday to the scene on one of Graz's main shopping streets.

"What happened here is unthinkable. There is no excuse for it."

Shoppers described scenes of terror as the car ploughed into the pedestrian street at over 100 kilometres (60 miles) an hour, forcing people to scramble out of harm's way.

During his rampage, the driver briefly got out of the car wielding a knife and wounded two people, the head of the investigation Kurt Kemeter said.

"People were screaming in panic and rushed into the stores to seek shelter," said one woman at the scene, adding that the crashing of metal chairs on cafe terraces sounded like "a shootout."

Several thousand people attended a memorial on Saturday night in Graz, where a huge sign reading "Graz in mourning" was erected on the main square.

Flowers, candles and soft toys were laid in memory of the three who died.

 

[Austin]

Bosnian 'with history of beating wife' accused of ploughing car into Austria crowd

Alen Rizvanović, a father of two whose wife had just left him, is accused of killing a newlywed, a four-year-old boy and a cyclist, when he ploughed his car into a busy shopping street

The SUV of a man who drove into a crowd is being removed from a street in Graz, Austria Photo: AP/Ronald Zak

By Melanie Hall, Berlin
2:38PM BST 21 Jun 2015

A driver who killed three people including a four-year-old boy and injured 36 after deliberately ramming his car into crowds before getting out and stabbing passers-by in Graz, Austria, had a history of domestic violence.

Police investigators stand at the scene where an SUV drove into pedestrians (EPA)

The 26-year-old man who unleashed carnage in the centre of Austria’s second biggest city on Saturday, which has left three people still fighting for their lives, has been named as Alen Rizvanović, a married father of two young children who is reportedly on the brink of divorce.

He was already known to police, who confirmed that they had previously been called to his property in Kalsdorf in the south of Graz several times following accusations that Rizvanović had been repeatedly violent towards his wife.

He was finally evicted from his family home on May 28, and Rizvanović’s wife and children are understood to have now left Austria.

Police said Rizvanović, who arrived in Austria as a refugee fleeing war in his native Bosnia at the age of four in 1993, may have been suffering from a severe mental disorder described by medical experts as a violent psychosis which can lead to sudden bouts of violence and bloodlust.

People lighting candles in tribute to the victims in the city center of Graz, Austria (EPA)

Despite the reports of family violence and eviction, Rizvanović, who received Austrian citizenship, was allowed to keep his driver’s licence and continue working as a professional driver.

After his arrest after Saturday's killings, he is understood to have said that he was on his way to the police station because he wanted to complain about his eviction, and he also felt persecuted, reported national Austrian newspaper Österreich. According to the paper, anger may then have overwhelmed him and he lost control of himself.

A SUV which drove into pedestrians stands at the scene of crime (EPA)

Police have said there is no indication that he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and have searched his home but have been unable to establish a motive, although national police director Josef Klamminger said they had ruled it out as a terrorist act and that family and psychological problems were the trigger.

Among the three people killed is recently-married 28-year-old Adis Dolić, originally from Bosnia, who had been walking with his new wife Adisa when they were both knocked down after being hit from behind when the car mounted the pavement. Dolić was killed instantly at the scene, while his wife is now in a coma.

The carnage began shortly after midday on Saturday when the driver hit the couple walking on the pavement. Siegfried Nagl, the mayor of Graz, was riding his Vespa at the time just metres in front of the speeding green SUV and witnessed the tragedy, only managed to escape injury himself by quickly mounting the pavement.

After expecting the car to stop following the collision, Nagl recounted how the car raced ahead, “deliberately trying to hit people on the sidewalk”, he told a press conference.

The driver is then reported to have got out of his car in front of a supermarket, pulling out a knife and stabbing two people, before abandoning his victims collapsed on the pavement and speeding off again towards the city’s main square.

He then mowed down two cyclists at a set of traffic lights, before hitting another person on their bike, and then racing along the busy main shopping street of Herrengasse, killing a 25-year-old woman and a four-year-old boy in front of the city’s parish church. He was then seen continuing on to the bustling main plaza, crashing into the outdoor dining area and injuring eight people.

As panic broke out and passers-by fled screaming into shops and doorways, Rizvanović reportedly sped off before coming to a halt near to the police station, where he was ordered out of the vehicle and arrested. He was brought to the police detention centre where he was examined by doctors, who reported that he was unable to respond to any of their questions.

A total of 83 ambulances and emergency medical vehicles and four rescue helicopters converged on the scene.

Three adults remained in a critical condition and two children were still in intensive care on Sunday,

Around 600 people bearing flowers and candles attended a memorial service for the victims on Saturday night at the same parish church where two of the victims had died hours nearby earlier.

Politicians from across the country sent their condolences to Graz. However Heinz-Christian Strache, leader of the right-wing populist Freedom Party, sparked anger when he posted a photo of the battered vehicle with the caption: “The culprit is from Bosnia. A religiously-motivated attack cannot be ruled out!”, despite police already excluding extremist and political motivations behind the tragedy.

All events planned for Saturday evening were cancelled, including a gala at the city's theatre.