A 26-year-old Afghan man has been arrested in Vienna, the capital of Austria, on suspicion of sexually assaulting two 16-year-old girls. The case came to light after one of the girls contacted emergency services, and police investigations into the circumstances remain ongoing.
The Austrian outlet Heute reported on Wednesday, August 5, that the incidents took place during a party over the course of several days at an apartment in Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, Vienna’s 15th district.
According to the report, the party was held at the apartment belonging to the 26-year-old man, with several other people also present. Drugs and alcohol were reportedly consumed during the gathering, and the two 16-year-old Austrian girls were among those attending.
Reports indicate that the two girls had disappeared several days earlier from a care facility under whose supervision they had been staying, before subsequently appearing at the party. One of the 16-year-old girls eventually contacted emergency services and alleged that she and her friend had been sexually assaulted at an apartment in Vienna’s 15th district.
After receiving the report, officers from a specialized Vienna police unit identified the location and arrested the 26-year-old suspect in the building’s stairwell. However, the allegations against him remain under investigation, and their validity must be determined by the judicial authorities.
The suspect has declined to respond to the allegations and, exercising his right to remain silent, has so far provided no account of what occurred during the party. Investigators are now working to establish the circumstances of the incident and are also examining the possible involvement of other people who were present at the apartment.
The man is being held in pre-trial detention on the orders of the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office. The investigation remains ongoing, and the allegations against him should not be considered proven unless and until a final court judgment is issued.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
