Four young Upper Austrians have been due to appear before the Linz regional court since Thursday morning for allegedly spreading IS propaganda on social media, recruiting offline members and setting up a private mosque for Islamists in the rented apartment. All four only partially confessed.
Four young Upper Austrians are said to have glorified the Islamic State on social media, recruited new members offline and set up a mosque for extreme Islamists in their rented family apartment. An Iraqi (16), a Russian (17), a Croat and his Austrian wife under Islamic law (both 19) had to appear before the Linz regional court on Thursday.
Big crowd
The process attracted a lot of media attention and the visiting room was also well filled. At the same time, a large amount of crystal meth and a credit card knife were discovered at the entrance gate – but both finds were not related to the trial in the “61er”, Linz’s jury courtroom.
Not fully known
None of the four defendants confessed to parts of the extensive accusation, which carried a lengthy sentence, denied by all of them. All but the 19-year-old were innocent; she had already been legally convicted in early 2023 for membership of a terrorist organization and damage to property.
Don’t you take everything seriously?
The 16-year-old first defendant, a Greek-born Iraqi, described how he became increasingly radicalized by videos on social media, mainly Instagram and TikTok, until he eventually listened to the sermons of an Islamist currently serving a 20-year prison sentence. years in prison in Austria. The fact that he and his co-defendants only ridiculed the content, for example by re-enacting a beheading video for fun and irony, was met with little understanding by the judge.
Family fled because of Islamists
The 16-year-old also reports on his transformation: Only after the first search of his parents’ shared household did they tell him that they had fled Iraq because his grandfather and uncle had been murdered by Islamists. They were also shocked by his radical ‘role models’ and their views and made it clear to him that these organizations were merely recruiting young people for their inhumane purposes. He then distanced himself from the scene and also from the two 19-year-olds.
Baby noises in the jury room
Due to a lack of childcare in prison and court, the young son of the two 19-year-old defendants was also in the dock until the young mother and her child were temporarily released into an adjacent room.
Longer than expected
Due to the very extensive accusation, the trial dragged on due to several witnesses, including a young man from St. Pölten who had already been legally convicted. The question is whether a ruling can be expected on Thursday.
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.
