Graz, Austria — Police in Styria have struck a major blow against violent youth crime, dismantling what investigators describe as one of the most brutal street gangs the city has ever seen, according to ORF News.
Between November 2024 and June 2025, a group of young men — mostly of Syrian nationality, aged 17 to 20 — allegedly carried out a wave of assaults, robberies, and threats across Graz. Authorities say more than 30 people were victimized in over 20 separate crimes, many of them suffering serious injuries.
The gang, known locally as “505,” is accused of operating with startling brutality. “I’ve never seen anything of this scale in my 20 years on the job,” said police spokesman Fritz Grundnig. “The intensity with which these youths attacked their victims broke every boundary.”
One particularly violent incident occurred in June at Graz’s Griesplatz, where members of the group allegedly stabbed a man in the thigh. According to investigators, the gang routinely acted in groups, using blunt objects and knives to overpower their victims.
On September 4, 2025, police launched coordinated raids in Graz and Vienna with the support of special units. Ten suspects were arrested in the early-morning operation. During house searches, officers also discovered a substantial quantity of narcotics, suggesting the group may have been active in the drug trade as well.
Prosecutors accuse the men of intentional aggravated assault, armed robbery, coercion, and making dangerous threats, including against minors. Officials believe financial gain was a key motive but note that the group’s cohesion and taste for violence also drove its crimes.
The period of activity lasted roughly six months, but investigators stress the case is far from closed. “We can’t rule out that other groups will be uncovered during the course of these investigations,” Grundnig said. Authorities are still evaluating the full extent of the offenses and whether additional suspects may have been involved.
The Graz public prosecutor’s office is now leading proceedings in cooperation with the city’s criminal division. For residents of Graz, the arrests bring a measure of relief after months of fear — though the revelations about the gang’s scale and savagery have left many unsettled.
