After the allegedly planned attack on the Vienna Rainbow Parade last Saturday, three suspects (14, 17 and 20) were arrested shortly before the start of the event. Since then, two have been detained. Now new explosive findings about one of the suspects have been published. One of the boys was already the center of attention of the Bureau for the Protection of the Constitution for allegedly trying to buy a Kalashnikov via WhatsApp in 2022.
This was confirmed on Wednesday by the head of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence (DSN), Omar Haijawi-Pirchner. In November 2022, the St. Pölten public prosecutor’s office issued an investigation order against the young person living in St. Pölten on suspicion of a terrorist organization, criminal organization and dangerous threat, including an attempted purchase of an AK-47.
Should have been a “joke”.
The Lower Austrian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counter-Terrorism (LVT) conducted extensive investigations and inquiries. When the suspect was questioned, the 17-year-old denied that he had wanted to buy an assault rifle. It was a joke”. In fact, the case against the suspected Islamist was dropped by the public prosecutor of St. Pölten on February 17, 2023.
Exactly ten days later, however, a foreign partner service warned the DSN for the first time about a supporter of the radical Islamic terror militia “Islamic State” (IS) in Austria, nicknamed “Abdullah”, who was in contact with Islamists in Belgium. and Ukraine. The contact person in Belgium was arrested by the Belgian authorities in mid-February because this man was alleged to have planned a terrorist attack on a cathedral in Brussels.
Pride planned as a target for an attack
Subsequently, “Abdullah” allegedly planned a terrorist attack with the Ukrainian contact for spring 2023, with “Abdullah” citing Vienna’s Rainbow Parade, which campaigns for the rights of the LGBTI+ community, as the target of the attack. In any event, on March 7, the foreign partner agency provided the relevant information to domestic authorities, apparently reviewing the data sent via courier services.
Purchase of an AK-47 and a machete
Foreign intelligence also pointed out that “Abdullah” was planning to buy an AK-47 and a machete in the Czech Republic. As is known, on November 2, 2020, the Viennese assassin who killed four people in the city center before being shot by the police used a replica AK-47 and a machete.
According to the investigation results now available, the investigative authorities believe that “Abdullah” is undoubtedly 17-year-old St. Pöltner, whose address was searched last weekend. In addition to data carriers, prohibited weapons were also seized. The boy is believed to be innocent, as are his 20-year-old brother, who is at large, and a 14-year-old HTL student from Vienna.
Radicalized Telegram group
The trio allegedly belonged to a radical Islamic international Telegram group with a dozen participants who felt connected to IS or the “Islamic State in Khorasan Province” (ISKP), which is active in South and Central Asia. The chat group allegedly discussed attack plans, the 14-year-old downloaded instructions for building an explosive device on his smartphone and followed plans to leave the country to join IS as a fighter.
This is disputed by his lawyer Andreas Schweitzer, who assured media representatives on Tuesday evening that his client “definitely did not plan an attack on the parade” and wanted to finish school. Schweitzer admitted that the 14-year-old brother had “educated himself about IS and watched brutality videos” in a chat group, but had no terrorist intent.
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.
