Police identify two suspected repeat offenders in Vienna robbery

Police have identified two underage teenagers suspected of attacking and robbing an 18-year-old in Vienna’s Ottakring district on August 16, ORF reported on Sunday. The suspects are a 12-year-old Syrian known to authorities and a 13-year-old whose citizenship has not been established.

Police referred both boys to Vienna’s child and youth welfare service. According to police spokesman Philipp Haßlinger, they are suspected repeat offenders who have been linked to around 40 offences since last year, most of them burglaries.

The teenagers allegedly attacked, injured and robbed the 18-year-old of a handbag on Neulerchenfelder Straße, a street in Vienna. The victim required medical treatment from emergency services after the robbery.

Investigators from the State Criminal Police Office were led to the suspects by video footage and witness statements. Most of the stolen property was later found in a stairwell near the scene, although cash was missing.

The investigation indicated that the victim had apparently been watched by the suspects on the underground railway before being followed after leaving Josefstädter Straße station. The investigation is continuing.