A suspicious package thrown into a building at Vienna’s University of Technology triggered a bomb threat investigation and citywide transport disruption on Thursday, just days after Austria’s deadly school shooting. All clear was given later the same day.
A major police operation was launched at the Technical University of Vienna (TU Wien) on Thursday after a man reportedly threw a suspicious package into a university building and shouted a bomb threat.
According to police spokeswoman Anna Gutt, the man entered the Freihaus campus on Wiedner Hauptstraße in the morning and threw a package inside while shouting, “It’s about to go boom.” An employee of the university immediately alerted the authorities.
Police responded with a large deployment, including explosive ordnance disposal units and bomb-sniffing dogs, to assess the threat. The building was evacuated as a precaution while specialist teams examined the package.
“We are taking this very seriously,” Gutt told APA and Der Standard. She didn’t confirm the number of officers involved but noted the seriousness of the response, especially in light of this week’s school shooting in Graz.
By 2.40pm on June 12th, the explosive ordnance disposal team had completed its examination of the package and declared it harmless, finding no explosive materials, police spokeswoman Anna Gutt told reporters.
All traffic restrictions around Karlsplatz were lifted and the evacuated building on the Freihaus campus was reopened, though forensic investigators remained on site to collect evidence.
The suspect fled before officers arrived; no description has been released and enquiries are ongoing.
Recent threats heighten alert level
Thursday’s incident follows several other bomb or threat-related events across Austria since the Graz school shooting on Tuesday, in which a former student killed ten people before taking his own life.
Since then, police have dealt with similar cases in Salzburg, Carinthia and Styria. “That’s typical,” Gutt said, referring to the pattern of copycat threats after high-profile attacks.
The incident also caused widespread disruption to public transport in the city centre. Several lines passing through Karlsplatz — one of Vienna’s busiest transit hubs — were partially suspended or delayed.
READ ALSO: ‘A national tragedy’: Austria holds vigils for Graz school shooting victims
According to Wiener Linien, service was affected on U-Bahn lines U1, U2 and U4, as well as tram lines 1 and 62, the 59A bus and the Badner Bahn.
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Due to the location of the incident, a primary school housed in the same building was also affected. Police established a designated pick-up point for children via Resslgasse to ensure a safe and orderly evacuation for families.
READ ALSO: It’s easy to get a gun in Austria, but will the Graz shooting bring change?
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