Tyrolean riflemen claim German probe has ended, prosecutor says not yet

The Bund der Tiroler Schützenkompanien, an association of Tyrolean rifle companies, announced on Monday that German authorities had ended an investigation into 34 seized rifles and ordered their return. But the Traunstein public prosecutor’s office told ORF that no decision had been made and one was expected in one to two weeks.

The case involves members of the Waidring, Fieberbrunn and Pillersee companies in the Kitzbühel district. It began with a bus check in June in Bad Reichenhall. About 50 members were returning to Tyrol after a celebration for Archbishop Franz Lackner in Salzburg, travelling via the Little German Corner, when German police noticed what looked like a rifle inside the bus.

Officers found 34 carbines, most of them being carried within easy reach, including in luggage racks and between passengers’ knees. The weapons were seized because the group could not produce the required firearms documents. Authorities also collected a total of 6,800 euros in security deposits.

Investigators later found small swastikas on 12 of the seized rifles and examined whether their display violated laws on symbols of unconstitutional organisations. The rifle association described the markings as historical symbols from the Nazi era and denied they had political significance.

Austria’s Innsbruck public prosecutor had already ended its investigation under the Prohibition Act during the summer, saying there was no evidence of political intent in the use of the historical weapons. The German case continued separately. The accused are presumed innocent.

The association said it had issued recommendations on the responsible handling of the rifles and informed the companies about next steps. It did not explain why it described the German investigation as closed before the prosecutor’s office had made a decision.