Archer faces trial after firing arrows towards two men

A 32-year-old man from Pongau is due in court on Thursday over an alleged threat involving a bow and arrow, ORF reports. He is accused of shooting towards two men.

The man allegedly used a sports bow designed for target competitions to fire one arrow at a carport support. A second arrow landed in the ground directly beside the two men. He may have been trying to make them leave the carport, but the reason he shot towards them is not known.

The men called police, and the archer resisted arrest. He has been held in pre-trial detention since then. Bows and arrows are classed as weapons, but their possession does not require official permission. They can be used on private property if the arrow stop, usually a target, is considered safe.

Hunting with a bow and arrow is prohibited in Austria and Germany, but permitted in countries including Spain, France and Hungary. In a case in Graz a year ago, a man from Styria was convicted of attempted murder after shooting an arrow into his partner’s heart. She narrowly survived.