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There are still many doubts, but little by little a clearer picture is emerging: on Tuesday more and more details were revealed about the terrorist attack in the center of Vienna. The “Wiener Zeitung” provides an overview of the current state.
How was the act?
The attack began on Monday around 8 pm in the Bermuda-Dreieck nightlife district at Schwedenplatz in Vienna. There were numerous people in the area the last night before Corona night and in mild weather. The assassin was armed with an automatic long pistol, a pistol and a machete. He was also wearing an explosives belt that turned out to be a mannequin.
The exact timing of the attack could not be clarified Tuesday. There were six confirmed crime scenes in the center of Vienna: the starting point was Seitenstettengasse in the immediate vicinity of the synagogue, Morzinplatz, the Salzgries, the meat market, the farmers market and the Graben.
The truth is that one victim was killed in the butcher shop, another in Franz Josefs. The terrorist also shot a police officer on Franz Josefs Kai. Killed a waitress at Ruprechtsplatz. The murderer was subsequently shot dead by the police in the same direction.
After the attack began, the police received several emergency calls. The executive issued an alarm. There was a shootout between the police and the killer. Nine minutes later, at 8:09 pm, the perpetrator was “neutralized” according to Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP).
There were no further indications of other perpetrators on Tuesday. Nehammer justified this by viewing numerous video recordings received by the police after the attack. Increased security level in Vienna continues.
What information is there about the victims?
The Islamist terrorist attack claimed four lives. An elderly man, an elderly woman, a young passer-by and a waitress were “torn from life” by the attack, said Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP).
Ten people who were injured in the attack in Vienna could be discharged from the hospital for home care. 13 people remain in the hospital, three of them in critical condition. Four victims, meanwhile, were able to stabilize to the point that they were no longer in danger of death on Tuesday. The injured policeman’s condition was considered critical but stable after an operation.
The patients came from Austria and Germany. One of the injured came from Slovakia. There were no further details on the deaths. All that is known is that one of the victims was a waitress who worked in a restaurant on Schwedenplatz. At 12 o’clock a minute of duel took place throughout Austria.
What is known about the perpetrator?
The murderer Kujtim F., who was shot to death by the police in the attack in the center of the city, was 20 years old. According to the Interior Ministry, he is undoubtedly a supporter of IS. He was sentenced to 22 months in prison on April 25, 2019. F. had tried to travel to Syria and join IS. In Turkey, the authorities detained him, prevented him from crossing the Syrian border, arrested him and sent him back to Austria.
“He came from a perfectly normal family. For me he was a young man who had the misfortune to make the wrong friends. If he had not gone to a mosque but to boxing, he would have become a boxer,” said the Viennese. Defense attorney Nikolaus Rast. He defended F. in his trial for terror. “I never thought it would be possible for him to become a murderer,” Rast said.
The defense attorney suspects that F. had become radicalized as a teenager in a mosque that he visited regularly. Rast said his old client was a disoriented young man looking for a place in life. According to the Austrian Islamic Faith Community (IGGÖ), the perpetrator is said to “not come from our immediate religious community.”
In December 2019, F. was released early. A procedure to withdraw his citizenship failed.
Why did you get out of jail early?
During the investigation and after his conviction, according to Rast, F. was cared for by a probation officer and the Derad association, which specializes in the de-radicalization of radical Islamist criminals. It was apparently classified as non-dangerous at the end of 2019. Otherwise, its early and conditional release as of December 5 would not have been approved. He was released on the condition that he be given a probation officer and with the support of the Derad association, which specializes in de-radicalization.
Interior Minister Nehammer criticized the fact that the killer had been released prematurely from his prison sentence. The 20-year-old managed to “fool the de-radicalization program of the judiciary,” Nehammer said. According to Nehammer, he made “special efforts” with the probation officer. During the appointments with Derad, he tried to correspond externally to the image of a young man integrated into society. In truth, the 20-year-old wanted to “deliberately destroy the system,” the interior minister noted.
Justice Minister Alma Zadic (Greens) defended the prompt release of the Viennese terrorist attacker. As provided by law, he was released on probation on December 5, 2019 after two-thirds in prison, subject to regular contacts with Neustart and Derad. The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Fight Against Terrorism was informed.
Zadic reported in a broadcast that the perpetrator was taken to a prison on January 12, 2019 and later detained. On April 25, 2019, he was sentenced to 22 months in prison, especially for attempting to travel to Syria and join ISIS there. The Higher Regional Court of Vienna confirmed this ruling with an appeal on July 12, 2019.
By law, he was conditionally released on December 5, 2019, after two-thirds of his prison sentence, with a three-year probationary period. In principle, conditional releases would be issued after two-thirds of the prison sentence, if the conditions are met, on the condition of a three-year probationary period for specific treatment, care and continuous monitoring. This could be used to influence the aggressor beyond the prison term. With the full fulfillment of the prison sentence, which in the specific case would have meant a release in July 2020, there is no possibility of such influence on the perpetrator, Zadic emphasized.
How is the investigation going?
On Tuesday night the attacker’s apartment was opened with explosives and a search of the house was carried out. Large raids were also carried out in the vicinity of the perpetrator. A total of 18 house searches were carried out on Tuesday. “The evidence is currently being examined and evaluated,” said Director General of Public Safety Franz Ruf.
14 people were provisionally detained, according to the Interior Ministry. They come from the 20-year-old’s circle of acquaintances and friends. Based on initial findings, there was no evidence that they were actively involved in the attack.
The help from the population was overwhelming, “Nehammer said. The researchers have received a terabyte of data, a total of about half of the 20,000 videos that have been evaluated so far.
Upper Austria Governor Thomas Stelzer (ÖVP) confirmed on Tuesday a house search and arrest in Linz. St. Pölten also became the center of the investigation. House searches were carried out at two addresses in the capital of Lower Austria. On the part of the police, 1,000 police officers related to the attack were on duty. Urban infrastructure and public spaces were secured, and the armed forces deployed 75 soldiers to protect property. (sole)
