Antisemitic Arson Attack at Vienna Central Cemetery: Trial in December

A previously unblemished 27-year-old is accused of having set fire to the anteroom of the ceremonial hall with an accelerant on the night of November 1, 2023, after climbing over a one and a half meter high outer wall and entering an adjacent room of the dome house.

The anteroom of the ceremonial hall at Gate IV was burned out. The accused is also alleged to have defaced the outer walls with swastikas and right-wing extremist slogans before or after the incident. According to the Israelite Religious Community (IKG), which has joined the criminal proceedings as a private party, the property damage amounted to a high six-figure sum. The anteroom was completely destroyed and had to be restored, and the interior lining of the ceremonial hall had to be repaired. Among other things, a Torah shrine without Torah scrolls and valuable, partly very old books were burned and irretrievably lost.

Arson Attack: Accused in Vienna Has Denied Involvement So Far

The main trial is initially scheduled for two days, as court spokeswoman Christina Salzborn confirmed over the weekend upon APA request. The verdict is expected on December 17. The 27-year-old has so far denied any involvement in the nocturnal anti-Semitic arson attack. However, he is incriminated by traces secured at the crime scene, a DNA report, and the results of a call data analysis. The indictment refers to § 3 f of the Prohibition Act (VbtG) - the man is thus accused of serious crimes - specifically arson and serious property damage - as a means of National Socialist activity. In the event of a conviction in accordance with the indictment, he faces a prison sentence of between ten and 20 years. The 27-year-old is at liberty.

The Austrian of Turkish descent, who has not previously appeared in criminal records, was identified after extensive investigations by the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) and the Vienna State Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism (LSE). According to secured APA information, the intelligence services had not had the man on their radar until then. He is unlikely to have associated with relevant anti-Semitic or right-wing extremist circles.

Meticulous Police Work Leads to Indictment

It was meticulous police work that ultimately led to the indictment against the accused. In the burned-out anteroom of the ceremonial hall, trace carriers were secured and forensically examined. Through the batch numbers of a protective overall and a spray can, which the law enforcement authorities believe can be attributed to the accused, the 27-year-old was identified. Furthermore, a fabric trace is said to exhibit the genetic characteristics of the 27-year-old according to a DNA analysis. Based on login data from his mobile phone, it is also said to be proven that the man was in the transmission area of the Jewish section of the Central Cemetery shortly after midnight.

There may have been a second, as yet unknown accomplice or an accessory in the arson attack. This is suggested by a bottle left at the crime scene. The genetic characteristics of another man were detectable on it.

The Jewish cemetery at Gate IV of the Vienna Central Cemetery is one of the largest Jewish burial sites in Central Europe, covering more than 241,000 square meters. It has been in use since 1916, after the Jewish section at Gate I became too small.

(APA/Red)

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