On the night of Wednesday to Thursday, the Vienna court sentenced to life imprisonment two accomplices of the author of the jihadist attack in the Austrian capital in 2020, shot dead by the police the evening of the assault. The four other men who appeared in this trial also received prison sentences of varying lengths.
On November 2, 2020, a 20-year-old man killed four bystanders and injured 23 others in the heart of Vienna, spreading panic in this usually very safe country.
Before taking action, this Austrian had recorded a message of allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group, which had claimed responsibility for the attack.
Two years later, four Austrians, a Kosovar and a Chechen, now aged 22 to 32, found themselves in the dock.
Attacker Support
After a trial lasting several months and a jury deliberation lasting a dozen hours, the verdict fell late at night.
Two of them were found guilty of having “facilitated the execution of the crimes”. They remained impassive at the statement of the judgment, noted an AFP journalist.
They are accused of having actively supported and encouraged the assailant in his disastrous project, by providing him with logistical assistance or even by preparing arms and ammunition.
Four other convictions
Two others were sentenced for the same offenses but received lighter sentences (19 to 20 years in prison), because one was under 21 at the time of the attack and the other partially admitted his responsibility.
Finally, the last two were acquitted of the main charges. But two years in prison, including eight months, were pronounced against them for belonging to the IS group.
Sneak attack
During the debates, which took place under high security, the prosecution spoke of a “sneaky” attack against “our values and democracy”.
The six men had denied responsibility for the attack, attempting to disassociate themselves from the shooter they barely knew, according to the defense.
ats/ami