Police arrest four over 49 business burglaries

Four men have been arrested over a suspected series of 49 burglaries at businesses in Lower Austria, Vienna and Upper Austria, ORF reported. Police are searching for a fifth suspect.

The burglaries caused an estimated €104,000 in damage, according to police. Pharmacies, restaurants and various specialist shops were among the businesses targeted. The suspects allegedly searched the premises for valuables, mainly stealing cash, mobile phones and cigarettes.

Investigators from the Lower Austrian State Criminal Police Office identified five suspects over the summer. Police said they are four Moroccan nationals aged between 19 and 28 and one Lebanese national.

The five men were asylum seekers who reportedly met at the Traiskirchen federal asylum accommodation in Baden district, where police say they agreed to commit the offences. They allegedly travelled to the locations by public transport.

The four arrested men have partially admitted to the offences, police said. On the order of the public prosecutor, they were taken to Wiener Neustadt prison. The whereabouts of the fifth suspect, a 28-year-old Moroccan national, are unknown.