Prosecution Vienna Appeals Against Verdict After Terror Attack Plans in Vienna
The Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office filed an appeal against the sentence, as court spokeswoman Christina Salzborn announced. The Viennese received a two-year prison sentence, eight months of which are unconditional, although he faced up to five years. The conviction was for preparing a terrorist offense, membership in a terrorist organization, attempted training for terrorist purposes, instruction to commit a terrorist offense, and belonging to a criminal organization.
Sign of Life from Young Lower Austrian After Attack in Mecca
Meanwhile, there is a sign of life from the young Lower Austrian who carried out an attack in the name of IS in Mecca in March 2024, severely injuring several people with a knife on the grounds of the Al-Haram Mosque. Since then, the 20-year-old Hasan E. has been in custody in Saudi Arabia. The Austrian embassy in Riyadh is in contact with him and provides consular support through prison visits, the Foreign Ministry stated in response to an APA inquiry: "The next prison visit is planned for the end of July."
The Foreign Ministry is also in ongoing communication with the family and the Saudi authorities, it was further stated. No information is yet available on the criminal proceedings being conducted against the 20-year-old in Saudi Arabia and the potential sentence. According to media reports, the main trial against Hasan E. was supposed to take place in Riyadh at the beginning of May, after the Saudi authorities filed charges on nine counts. Whether this took place and how far it has progressed since then could not be determined for the time being.
According to APA information, Hasan E. was last housed in the Saudi high-security prison Dhahban, a facility for 7,500 inmates, where political prisoners and supporters of IS and other terrorist organizations are held. Human rights organizations Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly reported abuses and torture of inmates, which the Saudi authorities deny. At least until the end of March, Hasan E. was allowed to call his mother, who lives in Istanbul, once a week. Beyond that, the 20-year-old was apparently not allowed regular contact with the outside world.
IS Network Around Prevented Swift Attacker
However, Interpol officers are said to have visited him in prison in mid-March and questioned him about his knowledge of the allegedly thwarted attack on the Taylor Swift concert in Vienna. Hasan E. had been in close contact with Beran A. since at least the first half of 2023, who is said to have planned an attack during Taylor Swift's performance on August 9, 2024, at the Ernst Happel Stadium. The two are said to have been part of a domestic IS network, with other participants - including Luca K., who was on trial in Wiener Neustadt on Friday - also in custody along with Beran A.
(APA/Red)
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