[ad_1]
VIENNA: The gunman responsible for an attack in Vienna that left four dead on Monday night (November 2) was a convicted supporter of the Islamic State group who, according to the government, “misled” official de-radicalization efforts.
The 20-year-old, named Kujtim Fejzulai, was shot and killed by police and was armed with a shortened Kalashnikov, a pistol, a machete, and a fake explosive belt.
According to Interior Minister Karl Nehammer, Fejzulai had dual Macedonian-Austrian nationality and had already been convicted last year for attempting to travel to Syria and attempting to join the Islamic State organization.
Following that conviction, Fejzulai, whose name suggests he is of ethnic Albanian origin, was sentenced to 22 months in prison, but was released on probation in December.
“The perpetrator managed to fool the justice system de-radicalization program, fool the people, and get an early release through this,” Nehammer said, suggesting that the attacker had made special efforts to fool probation officers.
“Therefore, there were no warning signs of his radicalization,” he added.
READ: Austrian police arrest 14 and give new details about Vienna killer
After Monday’s shocking attack, Fejzulai’s home was raided and the evidence of his radical sympathies became apparent.
“It was clear that the attacker, despite all the external signs of having integrated into society, did exactly the opposite,” said the minister.
In a Facebook post, he posed with the Kalashnikov and the machete he would use in the attack along with a caption saying he was “serving the sultanate” and other typical IS messages, Nehammer said.
A statement from the Macedonian Interior Ministry said he was born in Moedling, a suburban town south of Vienna.
BORN IN AUSTRIA
There was a previous attempt by the Vienna authorities to strip Fejzulai of his Austrian citizenship, but it was unsuccessful because “there was insufficient evidence about his activities,” Nehammer said.
Eighteen more raids have been carried out at addresses related to him, with 14 people arrested.
According to police in Macedonia, a landlocked country in the Western Balkans, around 150 citizens traveled to fight alongside militants in Iraq and Syria, mainly between 2012 and 2016.
Most came from North Macedonia’s ethnic Albanian Muslim minority, which accounts for about a quarter of the 2.1 million inhabitants.
About half have returned, while many others with ties to the Islamic State group have been incarcerated in prisons in North Macedonia or other countries.
The Macedonian Interior Ministry said they had been asked to provide information on three people with both Austrian and Macedonian citizenship, including Fejzulai.
“The international police cooperation department of the Interior Ministry started to cooperate immediately with colleagues from Austria and we are cooperating intensively on all elements related to this case,” the ministry said in a written statement.
