Austrian police arrest nine Turkish men suspected of sex trafficking

Police said Friday they had arrested nine Turkish men on suspicion of trafficking Eastern European women into Austria to work as prostitutes.

The suspects - aged 28 to 42 - were arrested Monday for allegedly recruiting women in Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria, smuggling them into Austria and then sending them to work in several Vienna venues, a police statement said.

Most of the women knew they would be working as prostitutes in Austria, said Lt. Col. Georg Rabensteiner, who worked on the case.

It was unclear how many women were allegedly involved, he said. The nine suspects were not identified by name.