Austrian gunman shoots four dead

[Loki]

Austrian gunman shoots four dead (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24124193)

Three police officers and an emergency worker have been shot dead while trying to arrest a suspected poacher, the Austrian interior ministry has said.

Police armed with machine-guns are surrounding a farmhouse near Annaberg in Lower Austria, where the suspect has barricaded himself in.

The man is heavily armed, reported state broadcaster ORF quoting police.

The suspect had been arrested during the night but escaped in a stolen police car, fleeing to his house.

Around 100 special forces officers are surrounding the property in the town of Melk, about 90km (55 miles) west of the capital Vienna, ORF reported.

Sporadic shots have been fired at officers, who have described the situation as "terrible and very explosive".

Police have so far failed to make contact with the gunman, ORF reported, adding that relatives of the suspect have been brought in to help.

Paramedic shot

Police tried to apprehend the suspect late on Monday after receiving information that he had been hunting illegally.

However, the man - said to be in his mid-50s - reportedly opened fire after driving into a ditch, injuring a police officer who later died in hospital.

A paramedic was shot dead as he tried to help the officer, and a second policeman was injured, reports said.

The gunman then fled on foot, killing a second police officer and taking a third hostage.

He stole their police car and drove, with his captive, some 60km to his farmhouse.

Officials later reported that they had discovered the body of the third policeman at the farm.

A large section of the surrounding area has been cordoned off, with police in body armour and carrying machine-guns manning road-blocks.

Armoured police vehicles have also been deployed.

An earlier information blackout was lifted after information was leaked by the media.

[Szegedist]

Hard to believe this happened in Austria.

[Corvus]

Hard to believe this happened in Austria.

Austria is famous for such people. Remember Josef Fritzl, Franz Fuchs and many others
This case is not so odd.

[Loki]

Austria is famous for such people. Remember Josef Fritzl, Franz Fuchs and many others
This case is not so odd.

... and Adolf Hitler :P

[Corvus]

... and Adolf Hitler :P

Yes and many other eccentric people. They do not necessarily have to be murders or rapers.
Also artists like Falco had a very special personality. Austrians are often extremly emotional.

[Loki]

Yes and many other eccentric people. They do not necessarily have to be murders or rapers.
Also artists like Falco had a very special personality. Austrians are often extremly emotional.

You're right, I know a few very eccentric Austrians.

[Szegedist]

Yes and many other eccentric people. They do not necessarily have to be murders or rapers.
Also artists like Falco had a very special personality. Austrians are often extremly emotional.

Must be something in the water... probably in the Danube, all nations it flows through are crazy :P

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Danubemap.jpg

[Manifest Destiny]

I wonder how "heavily armed" he really is? By American standards, that is.

[Loki]

I wonder how "heavily armed" he really is? By American standards, that is.

Well, he's already taken out 3 police officers so he's obviously a good shot. And the standoff is continuing ... sounds like a tough cookie.

[Manifest Destiny]

Well, he's already taken out 3 police officers so he's obviously a good shot. And the standoff is continuing ... sounds like a tough cookie.

True, but there's a difference between being heavily armed and simply being proficient with whatever gun you happen to have.

In my case, I'm a good shot and I'm heavily armed. :cool:

[Loki]

Austria police find body after siege (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24140105)

Austrian police have found a body they believe is a man suspected of shooting dead three policemen and a paramedic.

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/69904000/jpg/_69904528_019334339-1.jpg

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/69903000/jpg/_69903638_69903614.jpg

The charred body was discovered at the farmhouse where the man lived near Melk, Lower Austria, after special forces stormed the building.

Commandos searched the house, backed by about 100 police, as the suspect was reportedly heavily armed.

The drama began on Monday when officers tried to arrest the man on suspicion of poaching near the town of Annaberg.

The suspected gunman - named as Alois Huber, 55 - is thought to have been a notorious deer poacher who had evaded capture for years.

'Secret room'

Police had tried to stop his car, but the man reportedly opened fire after heading into a ditch, injuring a police officer who later died in hospital.

A paramedic was shot dead as he tried to help the officer, and a second policeman was injured.

The gunman then fled on foot, killing a second police officer and taking a third hostage.

He stole their police car and drove, with his captive, to his farmhouse, about 90km (55 miles) west of the capital Vienna.

Officials later discovered the body of the third policeman at the farm. A large section of the area was cordoned off.

Three military armoured vehicles were involved in the operation.

Special forces eventually stormed the farmhouse after shots were fired at them.

Regional police spokesman Roland Scherscher said that during their search of the building, officers found a secret room.

"The room could only be entered through a door hidden in a wall," Mr Scherscher told a news conference. "One had to push against the wall to enter the room. The police forced opened the door and wanted to enter the room. But it had been set ablaze."

"They managed to put out the fire. After that, a burnt male body was found in the room. Whether that corpse belongs to the suspect cannot be verified at the moment."

The three dead police officers were aged between 38 and 51, AFP news agency reports.

The dead paramedic was named as Johann Dorfwirth, said to be 70 years old. He had received numerous awards during a long career, according to local Red Cross chief Willi Sauer.

'Powerful rifle'

Mr Huber legally owned several weapons and a hoard of ammunition, AFP reported. Among his firearms was a powerful hunting rifle able to pierce protective clothing, reports said.

He was described as well-known locally for poaching and defying police and licensed hunters.

He had his hunting licence revoked several years ago, reports said, following a brawl with other hunters and had often left animal heads on the roads.

Local hunters said Mr Huber had poached on other people's land because his had no deer.

The BBC's Bethany Bell in Vienna says there is a sense of shock in Austria.

Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner described the events as "unprecedented" in the history of the Austrian police.

She said the officers and the paramedic had "laid down their lives for our safety", expressing condolences to their families and colleagues.

[Manifest Destiny]

Most rifles will pierce protective clothing. That's nothing special.

[noricum]

I wonder how "heavily armed" he really is? By American standards, that is.

http://derstandard.at/1379291301210/Waffenarsenal-im-geheimen-Bunker

Most are break-open combination rifles and some bolt Action rifles, it is also reported he had some handguns.

[Austo]

Yes and many other eccentric people. They do not necessarily have to be murders or rapers.
Also artists like Falco had a very special personality. Austrians are often extremly emotional.

Must be our Dinarid Blood.

[KidMulat]

Are there Austrians screaming conspiracies about this event being created to take away there guns like in the United States?

[Manifest Destiny]

Are there Austrians screaming conspiracies about this event being created to take away there guns like in the United States?

I can't speak for all gun owners, but I'm not a believer that all the mass-shootings are false-flag ops by our government to promote gun control. But anti-freedom politicians never let a crisis go to waste, as the saying goes. The naval yard shooting is a perfect example of this. The shooter used a Remington 870 pump shotgun (which is primarily used for hunting and trap/skeet shooting), but dishonest politicians are using this as fodder for laws banning semi-automatic rifles. In principle, this is like using a car accident involving illegal street racing as an excuse to ban NASCAR or NHRA drag racing.

[Blackout]

You have to ask yourself, was it really worth going through all of this over a few steaks? I guess the deer taste 'exceptional' over there! :rofl_002:

[Anthropologique]

Sick, sick, sick ... Hang the corpse by its testicles.