On Monday, three minor children of a couple belonging to a cross-border network of the radical Islamist group “Islamic State Khorasan Province” (ISPK) were involved in plans to attack St. Stephen’s Cathedral and Cologne Cathedral. were arrested in Vienna at Christmas on suspicion of terrorism and transferred to Turkey. Andreas Schweitzer, the parents’ lawyer, announced this and criticized it at the same time.
The Vienna Child and Youth Care Agency (MA 11) took in the children, aged three, five and seven, after the parents were imprisoned: a 28-year-old Tajik woman and a 27-year-old woman from Turkey, who lived in Vienna. since 2022 – initially housed in a crisis center. It was then decided that the minor children’s grandmother, who lives in Turkey, would be given temporary custody. The consent of the parents, especially the child’s mother, was also given for the transfer abroad, but their lawyer withdrew this last Friday.
Lawyer: Mother was put under pressure
The 27-year-old’s consent was “coerced under false pretenses,” Schweitzer said in an interview. The woman was ‘convinced she would never get out of prison. She did not know how to deal with this situation.” Schweizer had therefore written to MA 11 to stop the planned transfer “to prevent further psychological damage to the children”, it said in a letter last Friday. three children were put under pressure and the transfer was “simply carried out anyway”, said the lawyer, who criticized the official approach.
Authorities speak of ‘mother’s express wish’
MA 11 has “completely rejected” the allegations against her. In a letter to Schweitzer on Monday afternoon, the responsible regional office manager pointed out to the lawyer that it was “the express wish of the mother” to take the children from crisis care to their parents “to enable them to remain in the family.” environment”. The 27-year-old confirmed this several times and at various appointments. The children were intensively prepared for the reunion with their grandparents: “In Turkey, the authorities are preparing for the arrival and takeover of the children. The trip has been organized and the grandparents are already on their way to Istanbul.”
The couple denies the allegations
The Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the parents as part of a suspected terrorist cell, in which a 30-year-old Tajik, who last lived in Germany, is said to have been in charge, for terrorist association (§278b StGB) in connection with terrorist crimes (§278c StGB). The couple denies all allegations against them.
Tajiks spied St. Stephen’s Cathedral as a terrorist target
The 30-year-old, who has now been extradited by German authorities and is now also in custody in Vienna’s Josefstadt prison, had met the Viennese terror suspects several times on December 20. The 30-year-old, who had long been the center of attention of the German Office for the Protection of the Constitution and was therefore under surveillance, was observed filming St. Stephen’s Cathedral in a manner unusual for tourists, while under surveillance loved. cameras and tearing down the walls.
Meanwhile, the 30-year-old flew for a few days to Istanbul, where other participants in the terrorist cell are suspected, returned to Vienna on December 18 and took photos and video of the Prater – apparently another potential attack target – on December 19 before he returned to Germany on December 20. His arrest took place on the basis of a European arrest warrant at the request of the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office.
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.
