Vienna, one of the spy capitals of the world(rampant hits by foreign agents)

AFP ^ | 02/20/09 | Philippe Schwab

[TigerLikesRooster]

Vienna, one of the spy capitals of the world

by Philippe Schwab Fri Feb 20, 9:06 pm ET

VIENNA (AFP) – Twenty years after the end of the Cold War, Vienna remains a spy haven, swarming with foreign agents who think nothing of killing in broad daylight, while the Austrian authorities turn a blind eye, experts say.

Vienna formed the backdrop to Orson Welles's legendary spy thriller "The Third Man" in 1949, but even today it remains a hive of secret service activity.

"Austria is still a favourite place for agents. They're frequently known to the authorities, but rarely hindered. Everything is handled courteously and diplomatically. There's a long tradition in that," said Siegfried Beer, director of the Austrian Centre for Intelligence, Propaganda and Security Studies (ACIPSS), at the University of Graz.

In the latest addition to a growing list of cases that look unlikely ever to be resolved, a Chechen dissident, Umar Israilov, was gunned down in broad daylight in the Austrian capital on January 13.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Bloody assassinations in the broad daylight with the backdrop of Strauss’ Waltzes and Mozart's Serenades.

[Schnucki]

The Vienna International Centre, with all those U.N. agencies and the IAEA HQ, probably helps continue the trend from the good ole days of the Iron Curtain.

[dljordan]

Here’s a question: If you’re on the run why would you go to Vienna if there’s a probability you’ll get shot in the head?