Analysis shows danger – Viennese IS supporter radicalized himself in a mosque

After the boy’s arrest, the terror suspect was subjected to the so-called DyRiAS procedure as part of a juvenile law investigation in support of the decision to arrest.

DyRiAS stands for “Dynamic Risk Analysis Systems”. 13 relevant behavioral areas are questioned from which it can be concluded whether or not the subject in question is suffering from violence-oriented radicalization.

Radical mosque and social networks
When the 16-year-old was arrested – he had only been 17 since November 9 – the result was clear. Hardened radicalization was confirmed in all areas. In addition, so-called red flag factors were identified:

• The young person wanted to live in a community of IS supporters and be recognized by them and therefore wanted to travel to an IS combat zone.

• He already had access to weapons and an extremist environment – ​​he attended a weekly mosque in Vienna’s twelfth district, where radical Islamists, including the attacker on November 2, 2020, had said their prayers and heard sermons.

• He also networked with like-minded people via Telegram, TikTok and Instagram and was involved in group chats with radical content. In a Telegram chat with 19 Islamists, after an earlier argument with his father, he announced the attack on the central station, in which – as he later explained himself – he wanted to die and gain access to paradise.

Based on the findings, ‘high risk factors’ have been proven for potential acts of violence – even including the risk of one’s own death. In the further explanation to the youth legal aid, it is pointed out that the young person said that he suffered from “recurring suicidal thoughts”, “while he had already expressed his intention to commit suicide to a friend from the mosque”.

“Extremely radicalized”
These findings are consistent with the assessments of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The Vienna State Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Fight against Terrorism (LVT) classifies the 17-year-old as “mass radicalized.” State security officials were not aware of the young man until his arrest, as the current legal situation makes it impossible for domestic authorities to control the courier services.

It was only when the Directorate of State Security Intelligence (DSN) received information from a foreign partner service about the 17-year-old and his photo in combat gear that he had posted on social media before leaving for the central station, and compared it with his own material: is it clear that the boy had previously “appeared on the radical Islamist scene as part of surveillance measures,” as a state security official noted in a report?

How many high-risk people live in Austria?
Security authorities believe that there are at least ten radical Islamist ‘high-risk individuals’ in Austria, and possibly more after recent developments in the Middle East, who could carry out an attack at any time.

In addition to the 17-year-old from the main station, an IS supporter of the same age was recently deemed exceptionally dangerous, who was only sentenced last January by the Vienna Regional Court to 21 months’ partial imprisonment for terrorist organization after he showed IS propaganda material on his school. Spray-painted the IS symbol on a bridge pillar and patrolled with a machete bearing the IS emblem.

Just three months after his release, this 17-year-old is said to have committed IS propaganda again and, together with an accomplice, shot an MA48 employee with an air rifle. At the end of November, he and his alleged accomplice are due to stand trial again for terrorist organization and attempted grievous bodily harm; the two have been in custody again since May.