Trial After Planned Attack on Vienna Pride Parade Begins on July 15

According to the indictment, an attack on the Vienna Rainbow Parade was not imminent. However, three former supporters of the terrorist militia "Islamic State" (IS) aged 16 to 21 are said to have discussed attack plans in a Telegram group. The youngest defendant, a student from Vienna, was 14 years old at the time of the crime. His lawyer Andreas Schweitzer stated that the teenager would admit to having obtained IS propaganda material and bomb-making instructions on the internet and having exchanged messages in chats. Schweitzer spoke of "misguided youthful interest." The actual implementation of an attack or a departure to IS territories was never seriously considered by the student.

Trial After Planned Attack on Vienna Rainbow Parade: Indictment Outlines Three Violent IS Supporters

From the prosecution's perspective, all three defendants were violent supporters of IS or the group "Islamic State - Khorasan Province" (ISKP) that emerged from it until their arrests. They encountered violence-prone and highly radicalized foreign like-minded individuals in the relevant Telegram group "psychology1444." In addition to propaganda videos and calls for donations, attack plans were discussed in chats according to the indictment - a Ukrainian, for example, announced his intention to blow himself up as a suicide bomber. The 19-year-old defendant - an apprentice living in St. Pölten, like his two-year-older co-defendant brother, an Austrian citizen - according to the indictment, "envisioned acquiring an AK-47 assault rifle and a large knife in the Czech Republic for a terrorist attack and carrying out an attack on the LGBTQ Pride taking place in Vienna on June 17, 2023."

The now 19-year-old is said to have internalized IS ideology at least since March 2022 and expressed it on platforms like TikTok and Telegram or through his PlayStation profile, where he glorified IS and spread its ideology. He and his older brother are said to have repeatedly encouraged the Ukrainian willing to commit a suicide attack in his intentions and urged him to carry out the act. The 21-year-old propagated in a chat the "stabbing" (sic) and hunting of infidels. Both brothers also created pictures and videos in which they each posed with their right hand raised with an outstretched index finger. The so-called Tawhid gesture is misused by Islamist groups as a recognition sign.

Youngest Defendant in Trial After Planned Attack on Vienna Rainbow Parade Wanted to Go to IS Territory at 14

According to the indictment, the youngest of the three announced between January 30 and February 2, 2023 - he was still 14 at the time - in a Threema chat that he would travel to an area occupied by IS or ISKP to support their fighters there. He also inquired "specifically about tips for building particularly destructive explosive devices for the purpose of committing a bomb attack and tips for aiming a weapon for committing an attack," as stated in the indictment. The now 16-year-old Austrian is therefore also accused of instructing the commission of a terrorist offense (§ 278f StGB).

According to the prosecution, extensive documents that he obtained and saved from the internet prove that his travel plans were not mere fantasies. The 14-year-old at the time informed himself about tactical procedures in combat operations, methods in ambush operations, and "preparation and equipment recommendations for the beginner mujahideen," as a document titled, which was secured during the investigations.

Alleged Attack Plans on Vienna Rainbow Parade Became Known Afterwards

The alleged attack plans on the Vienna Pride 2023 only became known the day after the Rainbow Parade. The Directorate for State Protection and Intelligence Service (DSN) informed the public in a hastily convened press conference that an attack had been thwarted and house searches had been conducted at the three suspects. The DSN was made aware of the three thanks to a foreign partner service that had knowledge of the contents of the Telegram chats. However, the boys were not in custody for long - they were released a few days after their arrests due to a lack of urgent suspicion.

(APA/red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.