A violent attack on a train leaves the driver seriously injured.
Two train conductors were attacked in Styria on Monday after a ticket dispute escalated into violence. A 41-year-old man is suspected of threatening and injuring railway staff on two separate trains within hours.
Around midday, a 41-year-old Slovak citizen and a 33-year-old Polish citizen boarded a train in Graz bound for Leibnitz. During a routine ticket check, both failed to present valid tickets. The 32-year-old conductor asked them to pay or leave the train at the next stop. The older man refused and verbally threatened the conductor, after which both men got off at Graz-Puntigam.
Shortly after 2 p.m., the same two men tried to board another train at Hengsberg station. The 52-year-old train attendant had already been warned about the earlier incident and recognized them. When they again could not show valid tickets, she denied them entry.
According to police, the 41-year-old suddenly became aggressive and attacked the woman in the entrance area of a train carriage. She fell to the ground and suffered a serious leg injury. The injured conductor was taken by the Red Cross to LKH Südsteiermark hospital in Wagna, while the two men fled on foot.
A police report triggered an immediate search involving several patrols in the Leibnitz district. An unmarked police car from Wildon later found the men hiding in a hunting blind about 150 meters from the station. Both were intoxicated at the time. While no strong suspicion was found against the 33-year-old, the 41-year-old was arrested and refused to give a statement.
The Graz public prosecutor ordered his release pending charges, but the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) issued a detention order under immigration law. The suspect was taken to the Graz police detention center, where he remains in custody.