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- The Austrian authorities have ordered the closure of two radical mosques.
- The step was taken after a crisis meeting with the president of the Islamic Religious Community (IGGÖ), it was said at the press conference of the Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Justice in Vienna.
- The reason for the closure is the attack in Vienna, in which a 20-year-old IS supporter killed four people on Monday this week.
The Minister of Culture, Susanne Raab, condoled the afflicted and emphasized: “The aim of Islamism is to drive a wedge in our society. A gap between Muslims and non-Muslims. We must not fall into this trap of hatred. “
Step “not an attack on a religion”
The killer had repeatedly visited two mosques or two associations. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution assumes that the murderer was radicalized in these same institutions. The Interior Ministry reviewed the mosques and the associations behind them. In the public interest, both mosques were closed and their legal status as mosques was denied.
Raab emphasizes: “The measure is not an attack on a religion, but a fight against extremism, against the abuse of religion by radicals.”
Interior Minister Karl Neehammer said twice: “Austria is synonymous with freedom, the rule of law and tolerance.” It is precisely these values that must be protected these days. The fight against terrorism is being waged and will continue.
Establishment of the investigation committee
A commission of inquiry will be set up to see if a different assessment could have been made when assessing the subsequent killer. Plus, they want to re-examine all known threat files, if further evaluations are needed here, Neehammer says.
Interior Minister Neehammer is reacting to criticism that the killer was treated incorrectly. The 20-year-old Austrian-Norseman, with dual citizenship, was sentenced to 22 months in prison in April 2019 for belonging to a terrorist organization. Instead of July, he was released in early December 2019. Furthermore, the latest murderer was seen by the Slovakian police while trying to buy ammunition, which the Austrian authorities had apparently been informed of.
The Swiss also determine
When asked by a journalist about the connection between the Vienna investigation and two arrests in Switzerland, Neehammer kept a low profile. The Berne authorities had started investigations because the attacker was in contact with two Swiss. Switzerland is now investigating its environment. However, he does not want to elaborate on this so that there are no “distortions” in the investigation.
