A 29-year-old Syrian man, who in 2016, as a fighter for the Liwa al-Tawhid Idlib terrorist militia, handled firearms and took part in operations in support of a radical Islamic caliphate, is on the verge of becoming an Austrian citizen. The Styrian Provincial Administrative Court has cleared the way for this. Provincial Governor Mario Kunasek (FPÖ) refuses to accept this and is taking the case to the Supreme Court.
The man arrived in Austria as an asylum seeker in 2014 and was granted protection status. Two years later, the Graz Regional Criminal Court handed down a final sentence of thirty months’ imprisonment, of which he served fifteen months. Following his early release, he married a Christian woman, became a father and trained as a paramedic with the Green Cross. He now works at a hospital in Styria. There, he has attracted attention for his lack of respect towards female staff members, and there are also ongoing altercations with the police. In 2024, the Styrian Regional Office for State Security and Countering Extremism issued an explicit warning: a potential security threat could not be ruled out.
The authorities repeatedly rejected the application for naturalisation submitted by the Syrian national in 2024. The Provincial Administrative Court initially overturned a negative decision on the grounds that it had been inadequately substantiated. The Constitutional Court upheld this ruling. In the subsequent proceedings, the Provincial Administrative Court then ruled in favour of the convicted man on May 26. The reasoning was based largely on the right to equal treatment of foreign nationals. Security considerations and the individual’s history of terrorism apparently played a secondary role in the assessment.
Governor Mario Kunasek made his position clear from the outset:
A convicted terrorist has no place in Styria and must never be granted an Austrian passport.
He has repeatedly called on the federal government to urgently tighten the Citizenship Act. Styria is now appealing the ruling and is challenging the decision of the Provincial Administrative Court by every legal means available.