Terrorism Trial

No remorse: “I would kill even more people”

The trial began on Wednesday morning in Klagenfurt.(Bild: Kerstin Wassermann)

On Wednesday, the trial regarding the terrorist attack in Villach began at the Klagenfurt Regional Court; six people were attacked in the incident last year, and a 14-year-old was killed. The accused Syrian, only a few years older than the murder victim, stated right at the start of the trial that he had no regrets.

After about an hour and a half, the closing arguments by the legal representatives were concluded—after which the defendant was questioned in detail for the first time. The 24-year-old sits behind bulletproof glass, guarded by four heavily armed officers. White shirt, black pants, impassive gaze: During the opening of the trial in Klagenfurt, he does not flinch.

Statements cause astonishment
“I’ve already said everything,” the Kurd initially stated tersely. But he eventually did address the court’s questions—and his statements left everyone stunned. The defendant claims he still feels committed to the terrorist organization Islamic State. Remorse? None whatsoever. He regrets nothing and would do it all exactly the same way again. What’s more: He would even “kill even more people—the goal was at least ten.” Men between the ages of 14 and 45—just “as IS dictates.”

Yet his story had once begun quite differently. The 24-year-old had originally fled Syria to avoid being drafted into the war. “I feared for my life back then,” he recounts in court. His family also fled and was scattered across various European countries.

Rapid radicalization within three months
But then, according to the investigation, rapid radicalization followed: Within just three months, the previously unremarkable young man became a suspected IS fighter. Even today, he said, he still feels committed to the terrorist organization’s mission. His goal, he stated, is to help establish an IS state.

When asked by the judge where this state was to be established, the defendant replied without hesitation: “All over the world.”

The attack in Villach lasted only 84 seconds
84 seconds. That is how long it took for many people’s lives to be forever changed. For in that brief span, six people fell victim to a terrorist attack that evoked terrible memories of the Vienna attack. Unlike in the capital, the Villach attacker survived—a total of six minutes elapsed between the first knife attack and his arrest.

Today, the now 24-year-old sits in the dock as a suspected terrorist and murderer. In the Klagenfurt criminal courtroom, a special glass enclosure was even erected to isolate him during the two scheduled trial days. For he is still considered dangerous.

Attempts at deradicalization have failed; even after 15 months in strictly monitored solitary confinement, his crude ISIS ideology is unlikely to have changed.

The trial begins Wednesday morning in Klagenfurt.(Bild: Kerstin Wassermann)

According to the indictment, on February 15, 2025, in Villach, the Kurdish man used a knife purchased the day before to stab male passersby at random; a 14-year-old HTL student was the first victim and died, while five other people suffered injuries, some of them severe. Had a Syrian food delivery driver, the “Hero of Villach,” not courageously intervened, the killing would likely have continued.

For the attacker, who had been radicalized online in a short period of time, the goal was to die as a martyr, to spread fear and terror, and to “shake civil society,” as it is said. He did not succeed. “We are Villach” has become synonymous with solidarity, community, and strength.

Strict security measures
To prevent the defendant from using the two-day trial for ISIS propaganda, strict security measures are in place—though a special ban on signs seems somewhat absurd, and all electronic devices must also be surrendered.

According to the judiciary, however, this is necessary to guarantee the anonymity of all trial participants—especially the jurors and witnesses. 150 spectators, including 27 media representatives, are expected; without accreditation issued well in advance, there is no admission.

Public Defender: “He’ll likely stick to his confession”
What will they all hear from the alleged terrorist? “He has essentially already confessed to the police, and that’s likely to remain the case,” says defense counsel Philipp Tschernitz, who had to take on the thankless and unpaid job of public defender and has been performing it calmly and professionally for 15 months despite many unjustified hostilities. His task is to ensure a fair trial—no easy feat in such an emotionally charged case.

Incidentally, the day before the trial, he visited his client once more at the Klagenfurt correctional facility. In his presence, the client is always calm and taciturn, answering only with “yes” or “no”: “He is aware that he must take responsibility,” says Tschernitz. He has also long since shed the incomprehensible grin the young Syrian wore during his arrest, which was captured on camera—realizing that if convicted as a serious criminal, he faces life imprisonment in solitary confinement.