“He was much nicer than usual,” the woman describes her son in the last months before the terrorist attack. She never imagined that Kujtim F. could shoot four people in the center of Vienna and injure dozens. But the mother is convinced that he had help!
Tension in the grand courtroom of the Vienna court: It was not clear until the last moment whether the mother of the man who killed four people in the center of Vienna on November 2, 2020 would appear. She then enters the courtroom on time and collectedly. Her husband, the assassin’s father, did not come – he was on vacation.
“Intense friendship” with two suspects
“Thanks for coming in the first place. It sure isn’t easy sitting here,” said the judge. Like the witnesses before, the mother is first questioned about the six suspects. She immediately recognizes two of them: the second and third suspect were good friends of her son Kujtim F. They would know each other from the neighbourhood. Even after the Viennese assassin was first imprisoned, the 22 and 24-year-olds were good friends with him – which the two accused denied in their testimony …
Otherwise, she hasn’t been spending much time with her son lately. Although he lived mostly at home and not in his own apartment in Vienna, he was asleep when his mother went out in the morning and was away when she came home from work. Still, “He’s been much nicer than usual over the past few months, much more accommodating,” the woman recalls. She would not have noticed any radicalization. Although they had argued over religious topics and avoided her altogether, her relationship with her son improved after his release from prison. The killer was serving a prison sentence for terrorist offenses until early 2020 – he wanted to join the jihad.
Kujtim F. described parents as unbelievers
However, the defenders of the six suspects do not believe in an improved relationship. The mother testified to police that her son called the parents infidels and urged them to wear headscarves. “Because we stopped talking about these topics, the relationship has improved,” says the witness. Lawyer Rudolf Mayer sharply criticizes: “With all the pity I have for you, but you know nothing.”
But what the mother on the witness stand knows for sure is that she last saw her son on the evening of November 1, 2020. He packed his things: “Then he said he would stay with the third defendant, took a bag and left.” Only through the media did she learn of the attack in Vienna and that her son was the shooter. Then the woman, who had been taken so far, bursts into tears in the large courtroom. “Looking back, I learned a lot that I didn’t even know. It was a bit of a shock,” she admits.
Mother assumes accomplices
She is also convinced that Kujtim F. did not act alone. A juror asks, “Do you think your son did or could have done this on his own? Or was someone behind it?” – “I really believe someone helped.” She sees her friends as a bad influence. “I can’t prove it, but I believe it,” says the mother firmly.
It is up to the jury to decide whether the suspects were involved in planning and supporting the terrorist attack in Vienna. In addition to the killer’s father, other witnesses will be questioned in the coming weeks. It will continue on January 10.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
