Overview: U.S.-Austrian law enforcement cooperation remained strong. Austria prioritized counterterrorism measures and continued to assess that “Islamist extremism” remains the primary terrorism threat to Austria. Austria’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism (BVT) – the key counterterrorism agency within the Ministry of the Interior – reported decreased radicalization to violence by terrorist groups in 2018. Corruption allegations against the BVT led to a parliamentary probe in 2018, which was ongoing at year’s end.
According to a September 2018 study by the Austrian Institute for International Affairs, Austria ranks second in Europe for the number of FTFs per capita. The BVT estimated the number of Austrian FTFs fighting in Syria and Iraq, or wanting to travel to the conflict zone for terrorist purposes, at 313 between 2014 and 2018. During this period, authorities prevented 59 persons, including 22 women, from leaving the country to travel to conflict zones. Fifty men who had traveled from Austria to Syria and Iraq are presumed dead. The BVT reported that “a handful” of Austrian FTFs are currently in jail in Syria and Iraq. The BVT monitors an estimated 94 persons who returned to Austria, and officials estimate an additional 110 could still return. Overall, the BVT noted that terrorist mobilization substantially declined after 2015.
Austria is a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and a member of the Coalition’s Foreign Terrorist Fighters and Stabilization working groups. Throughout 2018, the Ministries of Interior, Justice, and Foreign Affairs increased efforts to counter radicalization to violence and to address the problem of FTFs. Law enforcement agencies focused on intelligence gathering and investigations, as well as sharing information with international partners.
2018 Terrorist Incidents: There were no reported terrorist incidents in Austria in 2018.
Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: Austria has an extensive legal structure to counter terrorism. Relevant statutes criminalize training in terrorist camps abroad and allow wiretapping of individual suspects or small groups with the permission of an independent judge or ombudsman. Specific regulations prohibit the use and distribution of symbols attributable to ISIS or al-Qa’ida. A 2018 amendment also criminalizes the display of symbols related to the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Grey Wolves, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and the Croatian Ustasha, effective January 1, 2019.
Austrian law enforcement and BVT officials routinely cooperated with U.S. law enforcement in a range of investigative areas, including joint, multilateral investigative projects and enforcement operations. Border security forces made effective use of security measures, including biographic and biometric screening capabilities at ports of entry and information sharing internally and with other EU countries. Border security officials at ports of entry have discretion when determining which documents and passengers will be subject to screening on arrival.
Austria has taken a whole-of-government approach to implement UNSCRs related to counterterrorism as well as the GCTF’s Good Practices on Addressing the Challenge of Returning Families of Foreign Terrorist Fighters.
Austria extended the 2016 implementation of its temporary border checks with its Schengen neighbor countries and continued to deploy more than 800 soldiers at its eastern borders. Regulations allow border authorities to prevent minors from leaving Austria upon suspicion they will participate in fighting activities abroad. Authorities are allowed to withdraw citizenship from an Austrian dual national citizen who voluntarily and actively participates in fighting in a terrorism-related armed conflict.
A legislative amendment passed in September 2018 criminalizes “travel for terrorism purposes” with sentences from six months up to five years in prison, extends domestic jurisdiction over individuals in Austria who committed a crime abroad, and ensures legal counsel for victims of terrorism. The new law is part of Austria’s implementation of the EU Directive on Combating Terrorism and the UN’s International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.
Austria has rigorous processes in place to register and screen individuals applying for asylum, lawful residence, and citizenship. A 2018 amendment further tightened these processes. The amendment allows authorities to confiscate up to 840 euros from asylum seekers to cover costs related to the asylum proceedings and to analyze their phones and storage devices to obtain data on the routes traveled. Applicants’ fingerprints are checked against the EU’s asylum fingerprint database (Eurodac), and in select cases, against criminal databases as well. Individuals are again screened against national and international law enforcement databases before citizenship is approved.
Countering the Financing of Terrorism: Austria is a member of the FATF. Austria’s FIU, located in the Federal Criminal Police Office, is a member of the Egmont Group. Austria has a comprehensive legislative and regulatory framework for AML/CFT.
Austria criminalizes the financing of terrorism in line with international standards and freezes terrorist assets in accordance with UNSCRs implemented through EU legislation. Austria has a national listing mechanism for terrorist financing, which operates more quickly than the EU mechanism. Money or Value Transfer Services, dealers in precious stones and metals, real estate agents, and exchange houses are monitored and regulated in Austria. The number of terrorist financing cases successfully prosecuted in Austria has increased due to improved monitoring and prosecution capabilities.
Austria implements the collection of know your customer data for wire transfers through implementation of the Fourth EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive. This requires identification of clients who want to establish a business relationship with a financial institution or conduct a transaction of 15,000 euros (US $18,300) or more, or where there is suspicion of money laundering or terrorist financing.
While Austria has taken measures to require closer monitoring of non-profit organizations (NPOs), they are still not required by law to file suspicious transaction reports (STRs). Consequently, STRs from NPOs are rare.
Countering Violent Extremism: Austria continued its CVE efforts largely in response to the FTF phenomenon. In addition, the Austrian government undertook or continued several other initiatives. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), in cooperation with the Islamic Faith Community, continued its information campaign in mosques, Islamic organizations, community centers, and prisons. The initiative included education outreach to encourage Austrians to differentiate between Islam and extremism. In an effort to counter radicalization and improve integration in the newly arrived refugee population, the Integration Office within the MFA developed an educational program focused on German language acquisition and education on Austrian values, such as equality and democratic principles. In addition, in 2018 the Austrian government drafted an action plan that seeks to implement terrorist prevention policies laid out in a national strategy. This includes a comprehensive “exit program” for youth who have been radicalized, which Austria claims is thus far unparalleled elsewhere in Europe. The Austrian government maintained a counseling center and a de-radicalization hotline aimed at friends and family members of potential terrorists.
International and Regional Cooperation: Austria is a member of various international and regional security platforms, including the UN, the Council of Europe, the EU, OSCE, the Salzburg Forum, and the Central European Initiative. Austria is a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and its FTF and Stabilization Working Groups. Austria remained active in the Western Balkans Counter Terrorism Initiative, a platform it initiated in 2015 to help fight terrorism in the Western Balkans.
Austria made the fight against terrorism a key priority of its July-December 2018 EU Council Presidency within its broader goal of “security and border protection.” This was exemplified by a November 2018 conference on terrorism, political Islam, and anti-Semitism held in Washington, DC. Austria’s interior minister led an EU-delegation to discuss terrorism, cybercrime, migration, and narcotics issues with senior U.S. government officials for the U.S.-EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial.
