Fugitive prisoner

Trial in Vienna: 20 months in prison for “henchman”

Regional Court for Criminal Matters in Vienna

(Bild: APA/Georg Hochmuth)

There is still no trace of Islam Y., a high-risk prisoner at Krems-Stein prison, who used an MRI examination to escape on November 14, 2023. However, his henchman was sentenced at Vienna Regional Court on Friday afternoon.

The man was sentenced to 20 months unconditionally for contributing to grievous bodily harm. He had called the victim and lured him out of his apartment under the pretext of having to discuss something with him. The 31-year-old was then picked up on the street by Islam Y., who was on the run and wanted on a European arrest warrant.

Numerous punches
He first punched him five times in the head and upper body, causing the 31-year-old to fall to the ground. There he received six kicks to the head and body and a further eleven punches to the face. Islam Y. - like the alleged perpetrator and the victim of the violence, was of Chechen origin - was a mixed martial arts fighter before his imprisonment. He was serving an eleven-year prison sentence in Stein correctional facility for robbery, among other things.

Violence filmed
The man who had lured the 31-year-old into the trap filmed the act of violence on his cell phone. The video then made the rounds in the Chechen community - it was apparently intended to restore Islam Y.'s honor, which he felt had been violated because his cousin's husband had made negative comments about him. He suffered fractures to his cheekbone and upper jaw as a result of the punches and kicks.

Who knows where the 35-year-old is?

(Bild: LPD Wien)

It is still unknown where Islam Y. is now. Both the accused and the man who was beaten up, who was questioned as a witness, emphasized during the trial that they had no idea where the 35-year-old was now. A prize of 5000 euros has been offered for information leading to the capture of the fugitive.