Antisemitic Arson Attack at Vienna Central Cemetery: Suspect Charged

On the night of November 1, 2023, an arson attack was carried out on the Jewish section of the Vienna Central Cemetery. The anteroom of the ceremonial hall at Gate IV was burned out, and the outer walls were defaced with swastikas and inscriptions. After extensive investigations by the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) and the Vienna State Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism (LSE), a suspect was identified and charged according to APA information.

Suspect not involved in Nazi circles, previously inconspicuous

The accused is a 27-year-old Austrian who has not previously appeared in criminal records. The intelligence agencies also did not have the man on their radar, it was said to the APA. He apparently did not associate with relevant anti-Semitic circles. The man reportedly denies the nighttime attack, in which an accelerant was used, but is incriminated by traces secured at the crime scene, a DNA report, and the results of a call data analysis.

Accused faces 20-year prison sentence

As Christina Salzborn, the spokesperson for the regional court, confirmed on Wednesday at the request of the APA, the public prosecutor's office has filed charges under § 3 f Prohibition Act (VbtG) with the court. The man is thus accused of serious crimes - specifically arson and serious property damage - as a means of Nazi activity. In the upcoming trial before a jury court - for which there is no date yet - the accused faces a prison sentence of between ten and 20 years if convicted. The 27-year-old is currently at liberty.

Convicted through phone and DNA analysis: Data shows 27-year-old at Vienna Central Cemetery at the time of the crime

The fact that the accused could be identified is thanks to meticulous police work. In the burned-out anteroom of the ceremonial hall, trace carriers were secured and forensically examined. Through the batch numbers of a protective overall and a spray can, which the law enforcement authorities believe can be attributed to the accused, they came to the 27-year-old. Furthermore, a fabric trace according to a DNA analysis shows the genetic characteristics of the 27-year-old. Based on login data from his phone, it is also supposed to be proven that the man was in the transmission area of the Jewish section of the Central Cemetery shortly after midnight.

The defendant has denied in his previous interrogations that he climbed over a one and a half meter high wall to set fire in an adjacent room of the dome house. He also claims to have nothing to do with the right-wing graffiti. The Jewish cemetery at Gate IV of the Vienna Central Cemetery is, with more than 241,000 square meters, one of the largest Jewish resting places in Central Europe. It has been in use since 1916, after the Jewish section at Gate I became too small.

Allegedly there was an as yet unidentified accomplice

There was presumably an accomplice in the arson attack. This is suggested by a bottle left at the crime scene, which bore the genetic characteristics of another man.

Property damage in the six-figure range, valuable books "irreplaceably lost"

The property damage allegedly caused by the defendant amounts to a high six-figure sum, as explained by the Israelite Religious Community (IKG) on Wednesday. "The completely destroyed vestibule had to be restored and the interior lining of the ceremonial hall had to be repaired. Among other things, a Torah shrine without Torah scrolls and valuable, partly very old books burned, these are irreplaceably lost," it was stated in response to an APA inquiry.

IKG President Oskar Deutsch thanked the authorities "for the consistent investigative work surrounding this heinous anti-Semitic attack, which, in addition to the property damage, has particularly heightened the sense of insecurity in the Jewish community." The determined action of the rule of law is "an essential component of the effective fight against all forms of anti-Semitism. Those who commit such crimes must know that they will be held accountable for them," Deutsch stated in a statement sent to the APA.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.