Grenade found close to synagogue in Austrian capital

A hand grenade was found in a building entrance near a synagogue in the Austrian capital Vienna on Sunday, although police said early indications did not link the device to antisemitism.

The grenade discovered in the Leopoldstadt district of the city was removed by bomb disposal experts and was later found to contain no explosive material, while the detonator was not functional, Vienna police said.

"Based on the information currently available, there is no direct connection to the synagogue located in Tempelgasse or any antisemitic intent," a spokesperson said.

The state's counter-extremism office had been notified, and further investigations were ongoing.

Around 5,000 Jewish people are estimated to live in Austria, according to the country's national statistics office.

According to a 2023 survey by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 73% of Austrian Jewish respondents considered antisemitism a big problem, below the European average of 84%.

-John Revill/Reuters