Austrian girl's kidnap case is closed

The Vienna public prosecutor’s office announced today that it had closed the case of the Austrian teenager who was abducted and held captive for more than eight years before she escaped in August.

Police had announced yesterday that they had completed their investigation of the case of Natascha Kampusch, who was 10 when she was kidnapped in Vienna in March 1998 by Wolfgang Priklopil.

He killed himself shortly after her escape on August 23.

The public prosecutor’s office was quoted by the Austria Press Agency as saying today that testimony by Kampusch and reconstruction of events indicated no second person was involved in the kidnapping.

A 12-year-old witness had said she thought she saw a second person participate in the kidnap.

Also today, Kampusch’s lawyer warned against any unauthorised books about her ordeal.

“Ms. Kampusch has repeatedly stated in public and now again stated for the record that on no account does she wish anyone to write a book about her,” Gerald Ganzger said in a statement.

“Violation of her personal rights will therefore be opposed with every means available. Unauthorised book projects, paparazzi and other free-riders must be aware of the fact that they are violating the rights of Ms. Kampusch.”

Kampusch has not decided if she will someday write a book about what she went through but Ganzger’s Vienna-based law firm was in the process of compiling offers at her request, the statement said.

Austria has strict privacy laws.