Ahmad Mansour in Wels

“Is the fight against Islamism lost?”

Ahmad Mansour before his lecture in Wels on the subject of extremism and fanaticism. The man at the back of the picture is one of several bodyguards.(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

He is hostile, threatened and yet he says what many do not want to hear - especially not politicians. How easy it is to radicalize young people, how parents notice if a child is drifting away, or what the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar changes: The "Krone" spoke to Islamism expert Ahmad Mansour.

Thursday afternoon, 4 p.m.: A police car is parked outside Wels City Hall in Upper Austria, three bodyguards are watching the entrance to the meeting room on the second floor. This is where Ahmad Mansour is preparing for his lecture on "What can be done to make integration a success?". The "Krone" is invited in for the agreed interview with the Islamism expert. Just two hours earlier, the news of Yahya Sinwar's death was announced on the radio.