The devout West African (22) is said to have tyrannised his girlfriend, whom he met in a Viennese club, regularly beat her and brutally forced her to have sex. The woman finally confided in a work colleague and reported the suspected Islamist to the police. The man is in custody.
The suspected Islamist has been in custody in Vienna since last week for allegedly severely sexually abusing his partner. The woman is said to have been bullied since February 2024 after the Muslim man (22) allegedly became radicalised during a stay of several weeks with Muslim friends in France. Violent attacks and multiple rapes are then believed to have occurred from the end of April. The accused denies the allegations.
The suspect had met the woman, who had just separated from her husband – the divorce proceedings were still ongoing – in a club in Vienna city centre in September 2023. A relationship developed, but after two to three months the man, who was from West Africa, started to monitor the woman. He constantly called her and enquired where she was when she was not at home. On his return from France, he then demanded that she wear a headscarf during Ramadan and that she should now live as he considered appropriate. Only Muslim women are “pure”, he is said to have emphasised. The victim is originally from South America, has lived in Vienna for over 20 years and works in a laboratory for a prestigious company. She refused to cover her hair.
This is likely to have increased tensions within the relationship. The African is now said to have regularly searched his girlfriend’s mobile phone, possibly even tracked her device, and when he found out that she had searched for a club on Instagram, it is said to have led to a first violent episode. According to the victim, the man punched her in the face around 20 times, choked her and pulled her hair before forcing her to tolerate sexual intercourse. Afterwards, the woman was not allowed to leave the flat for days and, according to her, had to call in sick to her job.
When she had halfway recovered, the investigation revealed that a second rape took place in mid-May after the woman was delayed coming home from an appointment at her car repair shop due to traffic – she had got caught in a traffic jam. When the South American-born woman discovered a pistol in a box shortly afterwards, she was alarmed. She feared that the man could shoot her at the next disagreement. She therefore confided in a work colleague and finally filed a complaint.
The Vienna public prosecutor’s office is investigating the suspected Islamist for rape, deprivation of liberty, assault and dangerous threats. The regional court has assumed that there is a risk of a possible offence. The detention order refers to a “massive willingness to use violence and an increase in violence” on the part of the accused. It also states that the woman’s injuries are “impressively documented”.
The suspect denies having been violent towards his partner. In his police interrogation, he explained her haematomas, abrasions and bite wounds with consensual rough sex. Her ex-husband is also said to have given her a black eye once during a meeting.
Partnerin geschlagen, vergewaltigt und eingesperrt: Islamist (22) in U-Haft | Exxpress