On Friday morning, the two young suspects (14 and 17) who allegedly planned an attack on the Vienna rainbow parade were released. The suspects must therefore follow a deradicalisation program at the Neustart association. With the current court order, all three, who are under investigation into terrorist groups and criminal organizations, are free again for the time being.
However, the public prosecutor’s office of St. Pölten has lodged a complaint against the decision. The Vienna Higher Regional Court will decide in the coming days whether the current decision should be overturned.
17-year-old denies crime
The 17-year-old’s lawyer, Markus Sommerauer, commented on the allegations against his client on Friday. The 17-year-old denies all allegations against him, Sommerauer said: “Something is being alleged here that doesn’t exist. No attack was ever planned.”
“No incriminating material”
According to the lawyer, the 17-year-old and his three-year-old brother were brutally awakened from their sleep last Saturday afternoon by special police forces who broke down the door of the apartment and arrested the two. A search of the home secured “no incriminating material, especially no firearms”. Air rifles, knives, throwing stars, an ax and a saber, the last two weapons, were found under the 14-year-old’s bed.
The 17-year-old also denies being a supporter of the radical Islamic terrorist militia Islamic State (IS). “He was also never in any relevant Telegram chats,” Sommerauer said, dismissing a report from the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence (DSN) that said the 17-year-old identified himself as “Abdullah” with nine other Islamists. from Ukraine and Belgium, among others, Turkey and Great Britain are said to have exchanged information on the internet and discussed plans for attacks. “There’s nothing in the law about that. There are no chats, there are no screenshots.”
“There is only a summary of the DSN, which refers to alleged information from a foreign intelligence agency. This builds up a certain amount of evidence, but the source is not disclosed,” said the lawyer.
Chat with Ukrainians
Sommerauer only admitted that his client had chatted with an alleged 15-year-old Ukrainian, but not in a group. The latter had written to him, they had first talked about trivialities, then about the war in Ukraine. One day when his chat partner sent him a link to a group with the IS logo, he did not join the group and blocked the user.
17-year-old denies buying an assault rifle
The 17-year-old explicitly denies that he intends to buy an assault rifle. Contrary to what the DSN claims, the youngster did not attempt to obtain an AK-47, his lawyer assured. “The family is well integrated. Religion was not an issue in the family. The father isn’t even a Muslim,” Sommerauer replied when asked about his client’s religious beliefs.
14-year-old “still learning”
However, to police, the 14-year-old stated that he tried to pray five times a day and described himself as “already a believer”. He has little interest in the LGBTQ community: the teenager is not a fan of it, he “actually doesn’t like it”. His lawyer tried to defuse the statement a few days ago: “He doesn’t like homosexuals, but he accepts everything else. That was just his expression. But he’s 14 years old, he’s still learning, he’s still developing .”
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.
