Investigation Underway After Austrian Train Plays Hitler Speech Over Loudspeaker
Austrian Railways (OEBB) said two suspects had been tracked down after passengers reported hearing a speech by Adolf Hitler, with shouts of “Sieg heil,” played over loudspeakers on a train journey to Vienna on Sunday, May 14.
In a statement on Monday, OEBB said that the announcements were made by people directly on the train via intercoms. OEBB said the matter had been reported to police and two suspects had already been tracked down.
Der Standard reported that the OEBB had handed over video evidence to police.
An OEBB spokesman told the newspaper that they believed the suspects had gained access to the intercoms of the train with a key and then used a mobile phone to play the audio clips. The company said it did not know how the suspects had gained access to the key.
David Stogmuller, an Austrian Green MP, was one of the passengers onboard the train traveling from Bregenz to Vienna on Sunday. He recorded video from the train and the phrase “Sieg Heil” can clearly be heard.
Another passenger, Colette Schmidt, said a speech by Hitler was played through the train’s loudspeakers. Schmidt said she and other passengers were left “completely shocked” by the announcements.
Other passengers onboard included Schlomo Hofmeister, a rabbi from the Austrian capital. Hofmeister said he heard people laughing when the calls rang out.
“I found that particularly disturbing,” Hofmeister wrote on Twitter. “There was no explanation or reassurance from the railways,” he added Credit: David Stogmuller via Storyful
