A 40-year-old terror suspect from Dagestan, Russia, was discovered lifeless in his cell at the Vienna police detention center around 6 a.m. — only a few hours before his deportation to Russia.
The man was suspected of planning an attack on St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna on Christmas Eve.
Details of the Incident
The Austrian newspaper Krone first reported the incident.
Despite immediate resuscitation efforts, the man was pronounced dead.
"Based on current knowledge, third-party negligence can be ruled out," said police spokesman Mattias Schuster in response to a query from Kurier.
Planned Attacks
The Russian suspect, along with a married couple and a German-Tajik, was accused of planning attacks on Cologne Cathedral in Germany and St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna during Christmas Eve.
They were arrested in the Austrian capital of Vienna and in Germany shortly before Christmas.
Since late May, the four suspects were no longer in custody, as the suspicion against them was deemed too weak, according to the public prosecutor's office.
However, three of the four accused, including the Dagestani man, were not released and were instead taken to the Rossau police detention center for deportation. One of the suspects, a Tajik national, has already been deported back to his homeland.
