Due to their suspected connections to an Islamic State sympathizer who committed a deadly shooting in Vienna in 2020, an Austrian court has found four men guilty of terrorist charges and murder participation.
The Vienna state court sentenced two men to life in prison on Wednesday night, and the other two received sentences of 20 and 19 years, respectively, according to the Austria Press Agency.
Two additional defendants were found guilty of being members of IS and disseminating the group’s propaganda despite having their primary accusations dismissed. They received two-year sentences with a portion of the suspension suspended.
On November 2, 2020, an incident left four persons dead, including the shooter. Over 20 additional persons, including a police officer, suffered injuries. Attacker Kujtim Fejzulai, a dual citizen of North Macedonia and Austria, had previously been found guilty of attempting to join IS in Syria.
Although the six men on trial in mid-October were not accused of directly taking part in the assault, they were said to have assisted or influenced Fejzulai as he was getting ready to shoot. These accused activities in one instance allegedly involved getting the firearms used in the shooting.
