'Ghoulish Tourism' Develops in Amstetten

Dungeon dad claims daughter asked him to kidnap second girl

(NEWSER) - One of the highest-profile trials Europe has ever seen begins Monday, when Josef Fritzl faces charges of rape, murder, incest, and slavery, the Telegraph reports. Security is incredibly tight—police have gone so far as to declare a no-fly zone over the entire town, fearing that someone will attempt to kill, or rescue, Fritzl from the air. More»

(NEWSER) - Austrian incest dad Josef Fritzl defended his imprisonment of daughter Elisabeth as necessary to stop her abuse of household chemicals, the Daily Mail reports. “She had been sniffing cleaning fluids and I decided I should talk with her in my cellar,” Fritzl said of the day in 1984 that marked the beginning of her captivity. “She reacted to my accusations with a couldn’t-care-less attitude.” More»

Director insists he's mocking media, not rape and incest

(NEWSER) - A comic play about accused rapist Josef Fritzl is set to open in Vienna, drawing the ire—and death threats—of Austrians who are not amused, the BBC reports. Director Hubsi Kramar stressed that the largely improvised piece, co-starring victims of abuse, is a commentary on media coverage of Fritzl’s alleged crime. “The media are writing the play and I'm reacting to it,” he said. More»

Mother, children were imprisoned in basement

(NEWSER) - Elisabeth Fritzl and her children have returned for the first time to the basement where they were imprisoned, the Daily Mail reports, helping police gather evidence for the trial against their father. Police wanted the family to show them precisely where and how they were held captive. The family has been cooperating with police, even crafting a thank-you poster for them. More»

Interview conducted in secret location, videotaped for court

(NEWSER) - Elizabeth Fritzl won’t have to appear in court to give her account of her dungeon nightmare. Fritzl, who was imprisoned by her father for 24 years and forced to bear him seven children, was questioned in a secret location today, police announced, and will be interviewed again Monday. Authorities will play the taped interview in court, the AP reports, sparing Elizabeth from being in the room with her father, who she has said she never wants to see again. More»