Train passengers were left stunned when speeches by Adolf Hitler were broadcast over the public address system of a service running from Bregenz to Vienna in Austria.
Two suspects, who have not been publicly identified, have now been charged.
They were also reported to have blasted a ‘Heil Hitler’ Nazi salute through the loudspeaker numerous times on Sunday (14 May), according to Austrian news agency.
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It is an offence to spread Nazi propaganda in Austria.
The two people were tracked down by police after CCTV footage from the train cameras was analysed.
An Austrian Green MP David Stoegmueller, who happened to be on the train at the time, took to Twitter to say: "In the RailJet 661, several calls of ‘Sieg Heil’ have just been broadcast through the loudspeaker system! The train attendant completely helpless.
"I hope there will be a report and clarification as soon as possible!"
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In a follow-up tweet, he added: "First completely senseless stuff, even funny stuff and suddenly a Hitler speech and shouts of salvation.
"It was pretty disturbing. The train attendant didn't know what to do anymore."
As well as the offensive Nazi messages, the pair shared a fire alarm message and bloopers from the actor who usually voices the announcements, the Guardian reports.
It is believed the two are also responsible for two other incidents on trains running from St Pölten to Vienna, in which messages were broadcast over the trains’ speakers - it’s not clear if those messages were also associated with Nazism.
National rail company ÖBB has said the incident is not a cyber attack. Instead, it’s thought whoever is responsible was able to open the train conductors’ cabins with a special key the company’s employees have access to.
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An ÖBB spokesperson told Austrian newspaper Der Standard: “They will have used the communication point in the usual manner, with a key, and then simply put a mobile phone next to it.”
The spokesperson said it wasn’t yet clear how the suspects had got a hold of the key, but said they were not employees of the company.
They also stressed that the suspects were not in control of the actual train at any point during the incident.
In a statement following the incident, the company said: “Unfortunately, there are currently irritating announcements on individual trains, from which we clearly distance ourselves in terms of content.
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“We are working flat out to find the cause of these technical faults and fix them as quickly as possible.
“We can currently assume that the recordings were made by people directly on the train via intercoms.
“We reported the matter to the police. Public security has already been able to track down two suspects, they will be reported today, further steps will follow.”
Topics: Crime, World News
Claire Reid