The youthful “protection money gang” was heavily armed. They terrorised their victims with arson attacks, serious extortion and robberies. The main suspect is Bosnian (17). The police found photos of the suspects with IS flags and IS videos on their mobile phones. They wanted to “make jihad”, says one member.
Attacks, building a bomb, arson attacks with Molotov cocktails, a list of torture victims, as well as committing terrorist attacks with Kalashnikovs, knives and machetes: The “protection money gang” caused fright and terror in the Meidling district of Vienna. Numerous attacks took place within a very short time and led to many arrests. Now there are increasing indications of a radical Islamic background. The headquarters of the youth gang is said to have been located in a mosque in Meidling.
The main suspect is a Bosnian (17) with links to the radical Islamic scene, according to reports. He and nine other suspects aged between 14 and 21 are accused of several serious crimes in an indictment. The list ranges from forming a criminal organisation, robbery, aggravated arson, grievous bodily harm, damage to property, aggravated robbery and aggravated extortion to numerous violations of the Weapons Act, reports the newspaper “heute”.
Videos of the terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS) were found on the mobile phones of some members of the gang. One suspect stated that some of his accomplices sympathised with IS and claimed that they wanted to ” make jihad”. The Vienna juvenile court authorities suspect “possible advanced religious-Islamist radicalisation” in three of the suspects. Two of the boys even posed for photos with weapons in front of an IS flag.
The judiciary released two of the suspects after just ten days. The investigations and the reactions of the authorities remain a critical point in the public debate.
„Schutzgeld-Bande“ tyrannisierte Wien-Meidling und wollte „Dschihad machen“ | Exxpress