KREMS, Austria: René Schimanek, the former office manager to FPÖ National Council President Walter Rosenkranz, has been sentenced in Krems for illegally possessing explosives and war material. The case focused on items found at his home in Langenlois, in the Krems district.
At a single judge hearing last Monday, Schimanek faced charges under Austria’s Weapons and Explosives Act. During a June check tied to a weapons ban, authorities found 79 blasting caps, three electric detonators and one tear gas projectile at his residence. Prosecutors said he held them without authorization, though only negligently, according to ORF News. Schimanek pleaded guilty, local reports said.noe.
The court imposed a suspended five-month prison term and a 7,200 euro fine, set as 180 daily rates of 40 euros. His probation runs for three years. Schimanek waived his right to appeal; the prosecution gave no immediate comment. With that, the verdict became final on Friday, a court spokesman confirmed.noe.
This marks Schimanek’s second conviction this year. In March, the Krems Regional Court gave him a one-year suspended sentence for Nazi reactivation, linked to an online death notice for his father, former Lower Austrian FPÖ chief Hans Jörg Schimanek Sr. The notice included the line “…and forever live the glory of the dead’s deeds” and the “Irminsul” symbol, both tied to far-right circles.
After that trial, Schimanek said he was leaving the FPÖ and stepping down as a Langenlois city councillor to limit damage to the party. He had already asked in February to end his role as Rosenkranz’s office manager, later moving to the Freiheitliches Bildungsinstitut (FBI), a shift that drew criticism from rival parties.
Separately, Langenlois won its eviction case over a forestry house long rented to the Schimanek family. The court said the property’s reputation and economic interests were seriously harmed by large amounts of ammunition and Nazi related items found there.
