Six men accused of helping a gunman who carried out Austria’s first deadly jihadist attack are on trial in a court in Vienna on Tuesday.
On November 2, 2020, convicted Islamic State sympathizer Kujtim Fejzulai carried out a killing spree in central Vienna, killing four and injuring 23 others before police shot him dead.
After the deadliest shooting of the EU member state in decades, the Austrian government and in particular its secret service were accused of not having monitored the Islamist movement in the country.
According to federal prosecutors’ indictment, seen by AFP, the six suspects – all males between the ages of 21 and 32 – were not directly involved in the deadly attack but are suspected of actively helping Fejzulai prepare the shooting.
The six men – four Austrians, one Chechen and one Kosovar – are accused of having “enabled or otherwise promoted” the execution of the crimes because of their joint affiliation to the radical Islamist scene and the terrorist organization IS “Islamic State”, “it says in the confidential court document.
The defendants face charges ranging from involvement in terrorist offenses involving murder to involvement in or membership of a terrorist organization.
All but one were held in custody ahead of the trial.
– “Deliver justice” –
According to the Vienna Regional Court, judgments are not expected before February.
Lawyer Mathias Burger, who represents the family of 21-year-old Nedzip Vrenezi, who was first shot dead by Fejzulai in the attack, told AFP in an interview before the trial opened that the family “is suffering to this day”. about what happened to her son.
The victim’s family received compensation from the Austrian state, but the main interest of his clients is “to ensure justice,” said Burger.
With the help of some of the defendants, the gunman – an Austrian national whose parents are from North Macedonia – is said to have been able to obtain the weapons and ammunition needed for the attack, while others provided logistical assistance or encouragement to Fejzulai, according to the report, prosecutors said .
Lawyer Astrid Wagner, who is representing 32-year-old Chechen Adam Makhaev, who is accused of selling arms to Fejzulai, told AFP before the trial that her client would plead not guilty.
Makhaev has confessed to the illegal arms trade but does not know what the guns are used for, she said.
During the killing spree, Fejzulai opened fire on passers-by with a Kalashnikov in downtown Vienna.
In 2019, Fejzulai was sentenced to 22 months in prison for attempting to join the Islamic State group in Syria before being arrested in Turkey and extradited to Austria.
Austria last year passed a heavily criticized anti-terror law that was formulated after the attack and allows for increased surveillance.
