Court orders temporary detention for man accused of attacking officers

A court has ordered the temporary detention of a 38-year-old man accused of attacking police officers in Michelhausen, in the district of Tulln, ORF reported. The man was shot and injured during the police operation.

The St Pölten Public Prosecutor’s Office had sought pre-trial detention on Saturday, citing a risk of further offences and flight. The man is being investigated on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm and resisting state authority. A prosecutor’s office spokesperson said on Sunday that the court had instead ordered temporary detention because the suspect showed signs of psychological abnormalities. The measure lasts 14 days, after which it will be reviewed.

The operation began on Thursday at about 10.30am, after a freight train driver spotted a person apparently in a confused state on the tracks along the Westbahn railway line and alerted the railway company. Police said the man acted aggressively towards arriving officers and a railway emergency coordinator and attacked them. Officers first used pepper spray. When he allegedly attacked again, one officer fired a shot.

The man, a Hungarian citizen, was hit in the thigh and taken to Tulln University Hospital after receiving emergency medical care. Police said his injuries were not life-threatening. He has since emerged from an induced coma but is still unable to be questioned, according to prosecutors.

The Interior Ministry’s Investigation and Complaints Unit for Allegations of Ill-Treatment is also examining the police use of a firearm and will report its findings to prosecutors. The investigation at the scene forced the new Westbahn line to close for several hours on Thursday. Services resumed shortly after 3pm, while diversions and a separate interruption near Neulengbach caused delays for many passengers.