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Fritzl Told Victims He'd Gas Them

Sister-in-law says he'd 'spend whole nights down there'

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted May 1, 2008 2:16 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Josef Fritzl threatened to gas his captive daughter and their children if they tried to escape, the Guardian reports, claiming he had rigged a toxic-gas system in the basement. Meanwhile, the possibility of an accomplice arose for the first time today, when a 12-year lodger at the house said he had seen another man, identified as a “plumber,” go into the basement, reports the BBC.

The lodger said he and others staying at the house were forbidden to enter the basement. Fritzl’s sister-in-law, who called him a “despot,” said he often spent whole nights in the basement, and went down “every morning at seven, supposedly to develop plans for machines that would sell to businesses.” A letter he forced his daughter to write suggests he may have planned to release her eventually.

A man makes a photo of the backyard of the house in Amstetten, Austria, where 73-year-old Josef Fritzl imprisoned his daughter for 24 years and fathered seven children with her, May 1, 2008.
A man makes a photo of the backyard of the house in Amstetten, Austria, where 73-year-old Josef Fritzl imprisoned his daughter for 24 years and fathered seven children with her, May 1, 2008.   (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)
Children's pictures are seen on a window in front of the house in Amstetten, Austria, where Josef Fritzl imprisoned his daughter for 24 years and fathered her children, May 1, 2008.
Children's pictures are seen on a window in front of the house in Amstetten, Austria, where Josef Fritzl imprisoned his daughter for 24 years and fathered her children, May 1, 2008.   (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)
A woman places a candle at the main square of Amstetten, Austria, Tuesday, April 29, 2008 during a night vigil for members of the Fritzl family.
A woman places a candle at the main square of Amstetten, Austria, Tuesday, April 29, 2008 during a night vigil for members of the Fritzl family.   (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)
A solitary protester holds a sign reading Another time while he stands next to other signs reading Why, center, and How could that happen ?, right, in front of the house of a scene of a crime of incest and abuse in Amstetten, Lower Austria, Wednesday, April 30, 2008 . 73...
A solitary protester holds a sign reading "Another time" while he stands next to other signs reading "Why", center, and "How could that happen ?", right, in front of the house of a scene of a crime of...   (AP Photo/Diether Endlicher)
Aerial view of the building in Amstetten, Austria, center right, with green rooftop garden, where 73-year-old Josef Fritzl imprisoned his daughter for 24 years in a windowless basement cell and fathering seven children.
Aerial view of the building in Amstetten, Austria, center right, with green rooftop garden, where 73-year-old Josef Fritzl imprisoned his daughter for 24 years in a windowless basement cell and fathering...   (AP Photo/inflight gmbh)
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Captive kids see outside world
Guardian (UK)

 
captives • rape • Austria • abuse • toxic gas • incest • Josef Fritzl • Elisabeth Fritzl

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