Trial for violence

IS supporter (19) shot in Viennese bakery

The young man at his trial in Vienna. He pleads guilty.

(Bild: Pratschner Sophie, Krone KREATIV)

A 19-year-old IS sympathizer remained silent in the Vienna Regional Court, but the charges speak for themselves. He is not only alleged to have posted glorifying IS material, but also to have "committed numerous acts of violence" - he stormed a Viennese bakery wearing a mask and armed with a blank-firing pistol.

IS sympathizer and violent - a dangerous combination that has now brought a 19-year-old before a judge in Vienna. The lanky Bosnian is led into the courtroom, flanked by judicial guards in full uniform. His tame demeanor could not be more at odds with the terrifying charge.

Instagram page run with propaganda
The young man is not only alleged to have forwarded propaganda material from the terrorist organization to private individuals, he also ran an Instagram account where he shared relevant videos and pictures. "Even the profile picture of the account depicted an IS fighter," the public prosecutor explains. He obtained the content from the official IS media office. There was therefore no doubt that they were glorifying, the prosecutor explained to the jury.

Fired into a bakery with a blank-firing pistol
However, he not only shared the violence against innocent people on social media, he also committed it himself - starting on May 22 of the previous year: together with a friend, the 19-year-old punched and kicked a homeless man at Floridsdorf train station. The man suffered a bruised skull, among other injuries. Same crime scene, different victim: three days later, they aimed a blank-firing pistol at an ÖBB employee (31).

Just four days later, the defendant marched into a nearby bakery wearing a mask and carrying the same gun, aimed at the sales clerk and pulled the trigger. Fortunately, the shot didn't hit anyone, but it left the bakery employee with tinnitus and an off-duty police officer with blast trauma ...

"Somehow he was moving in the completely wrong circles at the time," the defense lawyer tries to explain her young client's excessively violent behavior. He now has the support of his family and friends and a job promise as soon as he gets out of prison. The IS sympathizer himself only manages a "guilty" and otherwise remains silent about the accusations.

Deradicalization and partial imprisonment
He doesn't even have to talk, as the 19-year-old's victims paint a clear picture. He was sentenced to three years' partial imprisonment for terrorist association and various violent offenses, including one year in prison. He also has to undergo a deradicalization programme.