Police trainee in Graz dismissed over alleged IS promotion

A 27-year-old police trainee has been dismissed in Graz over what Austria’s Interior Ministry described as a fundamentalist Islamist outlook, ORF reported. She is suspected of promoting the Islamic State militant group among colleagues.

The woman, who has Afghan roots and has lived in Austria for about 25 years, was training in Graz for service with the Vienna State Police Directorate. During her training, she allegedly said she would not work with male colleagues for religious reasons and avoided exercises with male trainees, the ministry said.

The ministry also alleged that she urged colleagues to travel together and join the Islamic State, and told one colleague to repeat words that would convert them to Islam. The allegations led prosecutors in Graz to order a search of her home, where data storage devices were seized. So far, a review of the devices has found no evidence to strengthen the suspicion, according to the ministry.

Federal Police Director Michael Takacs said the alleged conduct ran counter to the police’s principles, including gender equality and a clear separation between religious belief and professional duties. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said there was no tolerance for such conduct.