Vienna Terrorist Identified as Pro-ISIS Radical
The terrorist who claimed the lives of four people and wounded another 15 in a shooting spree in central Vienna on Monday night was named as a 20-year-old man who had been previously convicted of seeking to travel to Syria and join ISIS but was released from prison early due to his young age.
The terrorist was born and raised in Vienna and was one of the 90 radicalized Muslims in Austria who were known to local intelligence because they wanted to travel to Syria and join the ranks of the ISIS terrorist organization, the editor of the Austrian newspaper Falter tweeted this morning.
According to the paper’s editor, the killer had Albanian roots and his parents were originally from northern Macedonia. According to the editor, “the police did not think that he was dangerous or that he was capable of planning an attack in Vienna,” and therefore did not fear his early release from prison. The terrorist was shot dead nine minutes after he began the murder spree.
Two men and two woman were killed in the attack, an interior ministry spokesman said, while about 15 more have been injured, seven seriously. Police also said an officer had been hurt.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said that “we are victims of a despicable terror attack in the federal capital.” The Austrian government ordered three days of official mourning beginning Tuesday, with flags on public buildings to be flown at half-mass until Thursday. A minute of silence was to be held at noon Tuesday.
