Early Release Despite Warnings: Vienna Teenager Freed Against Prosecutor’s Wishes
A 15-year-aged Austrian boy is on trial for a second time in eight months, accused of terrorist offenses related to planned attacks, most recently attempting to acquire weapons. The proceedings began Tuesday at the Vienna Regional Court, according to reports from oe24 and Die Presse.
The teenager was initially convicted in July 2025 and sentenced to two years of suspended imprisonment for plotting an attack on Vienna’s Westbahnhof train station. He was released in October 2025, despite objections from the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office. Following his release, he allegedly attempted to purchase a firearm in November, leading to his re-arrest.
During the current trial, the defendant claimed, “The terrorism accusations are not true,” and stated he had no interest in acquiring weapons, according to sn.at. He asserted he only intended to “provoke the state protection agency and scare them a little.”
Prosecutors allege the boy continued to radicalize both during his initial incarceration and after his release, remaining committed to the ideology of the Islamic State (IS). Authorities reportedly found he maintained a “high affinity to radical-Islamic propaganda as well as to bladed weapons and similar objects.”
The latest charges include attempting to purchase a fighting knife on November 19th, followed by an attempt to acquire a telescopic baton, quartz gloves, and a handgun on November 20th. He was unsuccessful in obtaining the handgun after being told it was not for sale. The attempted purchases occurred despite a pre-existing weapons ban stemming from his prior conviction. To circumvent this, he allegedly enlisted the help of a three-year-old cousin to attempt the purchase.
The boy too admitted to having “plans against homosexuals” in 2025 and expressed a willingness to “die for my God,” as reported by oe24. During a break in proceedings, he displayed the “Tauhid finger gesture” – a raised right hand with an outstretched index finger – which, while a traditional Islamic expression of faith, has been appropriated by Islamist groups as a symbol of allegiance.
In the current proceedings, the teenager was sentenced to ten months in prison for making dangerous threats. The state prosecutor had sought a more severe penalty. The court’s decision regarding further charges related to terrorist association and criminal organization remains pending, according to wien.orf.at.
The boy appeared in court wearing noticeably cropped trousers, a style often associated with Salafist communities and a strict interpretation of Islamic dress.