Austria seizes vast weapons cache in far-right biker raid

Austrian investigators seized a large cache of weapons and ammunition, Nazi memorabilia, narcotics and other illegal materials in raids this week targeting the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, sometimes also referred to as Bandido Nation.

The raids took place on Monday, June 26, but law enforcement announced the haul on Thursday. 

"The Interior Ministry is moving against any form of extremism resolutely, decisively and with vigor," Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said at a press conference, thanking investigators for their "excellent" work.

"This case shows once again how comprehensively and sustainably the democratic coexistence in our country is protected, and how extremism — regardless of whether politically or religiously motivated — is combated with all vehemence," Karner said.

Hundreds of guns, thousands of rounds of ammo

"During the house searches of June 26, alone, roughly 35 long guns [guns designed to be used with both hands, like rifles or long-barrel shotguns], 25 machine pistols, 100 pistols, more than 1,000 weapon parts, roughly 400 signal guns and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition, as well as grenade launchers and smoke grenade launchers were seized," Austria's internal intelligence agency, DSN, said in a press release.

Police also found various Nazi paraphernalia such as swastika flags, military uniforms and helmets, as well as roughly 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of cocaine and roughly 5 kilos of cannabis. 

Thirteen properties were searched in all this week, in the states of Upper and Lower Austria; six people were arrested. 

The DSN said they were likely to face various firearms, narcotics, and World War II-related charges. As in Germany since the war, many Nazi-era fascist symbols such as the swastika are illegal in Austria. 

Austrian investigators said one of the suspects had close ties to the leadership of the far-right "Object 21" criminal group, which was seen as largely sidelined in 2013 when seven ringleaders of the group were sentenced to jail. The group went under the cover of a club focused on cultural issues and pasttimes but was found to include a series of extremists and also to take part in various criminal enterprises.

German biker groups, confusingly referred to as "Rockers" in a case of English loan words gone wrong, often face similar legal difficulties. Austrian authorities said there were indications of the members in Austria having ties to bikers in eastern Germany as well.

Why did investigators start looking at the Bandidos? 

Austrian law enforcement said that the Bandidos had been on their radar since December of last year, "after it became known that the Bandidos MC was seeking to expand to Austria and would like to set up bases, so-called chapters, here." 

They were first put on alert, they said, because, "in Switzerland, similar developments in the past led to violent clashes between the Bandidos and the Hells Angels MC members located there." 

The Bandidos Motorcycle Club is the second largest in the world by membership, behind the Hells Angels. Although both are nominally global movements and although their international chapters appear to coordinate, neither group has a formal international parent body.

Both originate in the US — the Hells Angels originally in California, and Bandidos in San Juan, Texas.

Numerous law enforcement agencies around the world classify both as organized crime groups. 

As part of broader investigations into the Bandidos, Austrian authorities say 10 arrests have been made in all and preliminary cases launched against 34 suspects. 

The head of the federal investigative police force (the BKA), Andreas Holzer, praised the work of investigators but cautioned that their work had "proven to be difficult" because of technical constraints.

"At the moment, for legal reasons it is not possible to monitor the messenger services which the perpetrators primarily use," Holzer said. "We must provide prosecuting authorities with the appropriate tools for the completion of their assignments. The goal must be to implement a means of monitoring encrypted communications that also conforms with our constitution. With this, investigations could proceed faster, and criminal acts might be prevented." 

msh/nm (AP, dpa)