Austria Carries Out Raids on Extremists09/12 06:15

   

   VIENNA (AP) -- Austrian security forces carried out raids against 72 alleged 
Islamic extremists this week ahead of the 23th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks 
in the United States, citing the potential for copycat violence on the date of 
the plane hijackings that killed nearly 3,000 people.

   The raids occurred across the European country on Tuesday, before 
Wednesday's anniversary, because the 2001 tragedy remains symbolic for 
extremists and has inspired copycat attempts, the Directorate of State Security 
and Intelligence said Thursday in a statement.

   Authorities thwarted an attempted attack last year on anniversary at the 
Vienna central station, and the risk remains high on the date around the world, 
it said.

   Tuesday's raids came a month after authorities foiled a plot to attack 
planned Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna which were then canceled. Austrian 
officials said the main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian man, was inspired by 
the Islamic State group and sought to kill tens of thousands of fans.

   The 19-year-old had allegedly uploaded to the internet an oath of allegiance 
to the current leader of the Islamic State group. Authorities said they also 
found Islamic State group and al-Qaida material at the home of a second 
suspect, who is 17.

   The actions on Tuesday included raids on several prisons in Austria, as well 
as interrogations of suspects and seizures of digital devices such as 
cellphones to look for evidence of radical Islamic propaganda.

   Franz Ruf, Austria's director general for public security, appeared to 
reference the Taylor Swift plot in the statement, saying the last few weeks 
have shown the importance of cooperation between security agencies to counter 
extremism.

   Interior Minister Gerhard Karner also called for stronger powers for 
investigators to be able to root out such plots. Currently, Austrian officials 
often rely on other countries -- such as for the Swift concerts, where the CIA 
discovered the information -- because unlike some foreign intelligence 
services, Austria can't legally monitor text messages.