San Francisco Frontiers - Alleged accomplices on trial over Vienna jihadist shooting

Convicted Islamic State sympathiser Kujtim Fejzulai went on a shooting rampage on November 2, 2020 in downtown Vienna, killing four and wounding 23 others before police shot him dead.

In the wake of the EU member's deadliest shooting in decades, the Austrian government and in particular its intelligence service were accused of failing to monitor the Islamist movement in the country.

According to the federal prosecutors' charge sheet seen by AFP, the six defendants -- four Austrians, a Chechen and a Kosovar -- were not directly involved in the deadly attack, but are suspected of actively helping Fejzulai prepare for the shooting.

At the start of the trial, all six were led into the crowded court room, escorted by armed guards under tight security. Cameras were barred from the room.

The six men -- aged between 21 and 32 years old -- are accused of "enabling... or otherwise promoting" the execution of the crimes "due to their shared affiliation with the radical Islamist scene and the terrorist organisation IS Islamic State," the confidential court document said.

The accused face charges ranging from participating in terrorist crimes in connection with murder to involvement or membership in a terrorist group.

Four of them could be sentenced to life in prison if found guilty, while the two others face up to 20 years in jail.

All except one have been held in custody on remand in the lead-up to the trial.

- 'Ensure justice is done' -

According to the Vienna state criminal court, verdicts are not expected before February.

Lawyer Mathias Burger, acting for the family of 21-year-old Nedzip Vrenezi, who was shot dead first by Fejzulai during the attack, told AFP in an interview ahead of the opening of the trial that the family "still suffers to this day" from what happened to their son.

The victim's family had received compensation from the Austrian state, but his clients' main interest was to "ensure justice was done", Burger said.

With the help of some of the accused, the gunman -- an Austrian citizen whose parents are from North Macedonia -- was allegedly able to obtain the weapons and the ammunition needed for the attack, while others provided logistical aid or encouraged Fejzulai, according to prosecutors.

Lawyer Astrid Wagner, who represents 32-year-old Chechen Adam Makhaev, accused of selling weapons to Fejzulai, told AFP ahead of the trial, that her client was going to plead not guilty.

Makhaev has confessed to illicit arms trafficking, but did not know what the weapons would be used for, she said.

During the rampage, Fejzulai opened fire on passersby with a Kalashnikov in central Vienna.

In 2019, Fejzulai had been convicted and sentenced to 22 months in prison for trying to join the Islamic State group in Syria, before being arrested in Turkey and extradited to Austria.

Last year, Austria adopted a heavily criticised anti-terror law that was formulated in the wake of the attack and allows for increased surveillance.

Q.Taylor--SFF