Cobra ended Karlau prison hostage crisis without bloodshed

A police special unit ended a 10-hour hostage crisis at Graz-Karlau prison without bloodshed on November 14, 1996, ORF reports. Three inmates had taken three women hostage and threatened to blow them up.

The inmates seized the women in a food sales area inside the prison that morning. They demanded eight million schillings and a helicopter to escape. One of the women later recalled that they were terrified and believed the hostage-takers would carry out their threat if their demands were not met.

After intensive negotiations, the Cobra special unit freed the women. Karl Müller, then Graz police director, said the hostage-takers were placed in a secure cell.

Security measures at the sales area have since been substantially increased, with structural changes preventing inmates from entering it directly. In December 1997, the three men were sentenced in Graz to prison terms of between 17 and 19 years. The hostage crisis has since been made into a film featuring prominent actors.