Right-Wing "Fire Warrior" Returns to Vienna Court

The 21-year-old was sentenced to two years of conditional imprisonment last July for re-engagement in National Socialism, criminal association, incitement, and solicitation of punishable acts. However, the Supreme Court (OGH) overturned this verdict due to a legal error.

The first court had made a mistake in the sentencing framework. The sentence was based on a threat of punishment of up to ten years - in reality, however, a maximum of five years would have been considered. The Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office, which had appealed against the first verdict, noticed this afterwards and lodged a nullity complaint in favour of the defendant at the OGH, which was granted.

In the second legal process, the main issue is now only the clarification of the penalty question. There will be no further evidence in the new trial. After the opening statements by the public prosecutor's office and the defence, the contents of the file will be read out, followed by deliberations on the sentence. The trial is therefore only scheduled for two hours.

"Threat" Free Since August 12

The young man, classified as a "threat" by the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence Service (DSN), has been free since August 12. According to reports, he is keeping his appointments at the 'Extremism Counselling Centre', which were imposed on him by court order.

The graduate of a Vienna HTL, who had last studied at a FH, had joined the "Fire War Division" at the age of 17. The violence-prone, right-wing terrorist neo-Nazi group comprised up to 70 young, often still adolescent men across Europe, propagated a "race war" and "white jihadism" and advocated attacks on synagogues and mosques. Explicit mention was also made of attacks on Jewish citizens.

He claimed to have joined the "Fire War Division" - an offshoot of the "Atomwaffen Division" founded in the USA - at the end of 2019 because he felt alone and was being bullied at his school, the defendant argued in his first trial in early July. He had been seeking recognition, but has since cut off all contacts "with the right-wing radical circle."

Extensive Evidence Seized During House Search

During a house search in May 2023, the boy from Vienna-Favoriten was found with relevant propaganda material and Nazi memorabilia, firearms, a bulletproof vest, a knife, and a gas mask. According to the indictment, he called for attacks against Jewish individuals and institutions, Muslims, other minorities, and "ethnic cleansing" in Europe in chats on the "Fire War Division" network, aptly named "Riot", from December 2019 to February 2020, disseminated instructions for building bombs and making firearms. He also glorified the right-wing extremist attacker from Christchurch, who had killed a total of 51 people with firearms in March 2019.

(APA/Red)

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