Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, the head of Austria’s Directorate for State Security and Intelligence (DSN), will step down at the end of the year—nearly a year before his term was due to expire. The Interior Ministry cited personal reasons for the decision, though the longtime security official will continue to work within the ministry, overseeing the evaluation of the country’s intelligence and counterterrorism framework.
In a statement, Haijawi-Pirchner called his departure a difficult choice, describing the role as a singularly honorable responsibility he carried with respect for the public. Over nearly four years, since the DSN was created in the wake of a sweeping security reform, he said the agency had grown into a “trusted, reliable, and networked” institution.
Until a permanent successor is named through the formal selection process, Haijawi-Pirchner’s deputy, Sylvia Mayer, will assume leadership. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner praised him for shaping the DSN into an internationally recognized force against extremism and terrorism, while State Secretary Jörg Leichtfried called the task of building a new intelligence service from the ground up a remarkable accomplishment.
During Haijawi-Pirchner’s tenure, the DSN conducted about 900 raids, including 670 against right-wing extremists. Authorities arrested 275 people, among them 162 far-right extremists and 67 Islamists. Karner pledged the directorate would continue to pursue all forms of extremism with unrelenting determination.
Haijawi-Pirchner took charge of the DSN in 2021 after leading the Lower Austrian Criminal Police Office. Both of his initial deputies also left early: David Blum moved to the private sector in 2023, while Michael Lohnegger became head of the Styrian Criminal Police in 2024.
