Viennese "Fire Warrior" Receives Another Prison Sentence, No Longer Has to Go to Jail

The unconditional part of the sentence was five months, three months less than in July 2024, when the 22-year-old was convicted of neo-Nazi reactivation, criminal association, incitement, and solicitation of punishable acts.

Again Two Years Conditional Imprisonment for Ex-Member of the "Feuerkrieg Division"

The Supreme Court (OGH) had overturned the first verdict in response to an appeal for annulment brought by the public prosecutor's office to uphold the law 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.

In the second trial, the focus was solely on clarifying the issue of punishment. The court saw no room for a reduction in the extent of the punishment, regardless of the lower sentencing framework. The first verdict was "mild", according to the reasoning of the verdict. However, the unconditional part of the sentence was changed, for which positive reports from probation assistance and the extremism counselling centre, which have been looking after the 22-year-old since his release, were decisive.

22-Year-Old Does Not Have to Return to Prison

Since the 22-year-old had spent five months and 21 days in pre-trial detention and this time had to be credited to his sentence, he does not have to return to prison. The current verdict - probation assistance was extended, further sessions at the extremism counselling centre were ordered by directive - is already legally binding.

The young man, classified as a "threat" by the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence Service (DSN), has been free since August 12, 2024. The graduate of a Vienna HTL had joined the "Feuerkrieg Division" at the age of 17. The violent, 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.

The prosecutor emphasized in the second trial that the "Feuerkrieg Division" was a European offshoot, founded by a 13-year-old Estonian, of the existing "Atomwaffen Division" in the USA, which he described as "one of the most dangerous neo-Nazi groups worldwide": "The goal was a worldwide race war, the domination of the white race." The group is attributed with racially motivated murders in the USA, members of the terror troop were supposed to "sacrifice themselves to change the system".

Defendant had offered help to right-wing terrorist group

The defendant, at the age of 17, had "offered" himself to the European branch of the right-wing terrorists and offered his "help", the prosecutor explained. He was "young, but ideologically very firm", had dealt intensively with the construction of weapons, explosives and booby traps, and shared corresponding instructions with other members of the "Feuerkrieg Division".

During a house search in May 2023, firearms, a bulletproof vest, a knife and a gas mask were found in the boy's possession, along with relevant propaganda material and Nazi memorabilia. In the network of the "Feuerkrieg Division", aptly named "Riot", he called for attacks against Jewish individuals and institutions, Muslims, other minorities and "ethnic cleansing" in Europe in chats from December 2019 to February 2020. He also glorified the right-wing extremist attacker from Christchurch, who had killed a total of 51 people in two mosques with firearms in March 2019.

Tears and remorse at trial in Vienna

The 22-year-old appeared reformed in court, became emotional several times and even broke into tears as he assured that his mindset had changed: "I just don't want to be seen like this anymore. I made a mistake and want to change and show it." He had "tried so hard to let go of it, and now I have to listen to how dangerous I am. From the beginning after the arrest, I wanted to get away from all this," sobbed the 22-year-old. When asked what led him to right-wing extremism, he replied that his then-girlfriend had broken up with him and things at home were "not going well". He also "didn't really have friends". He found connection in the "Feuerkrieg Division".

When asked about his current social environment, the 22-year-old emphasized that he had broken off all contacts from his past and had also left a fraternity. At the gym and when going out, he had met "normal people" with whom he does things, spends time and goes hiking.

(APA/Red)

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