Attempted Murder Trial in Linz: Defendant Admits to Stabbing 15-Year-Old

At the center of the proceedings is a dispute among young people that, according to the indictment, allegedly escalated in the vicinity of a refugee accommodation. Based on the proceedings to date, the background is a conflict between several individuals in which, according to the statements, both an Iraqi and a Lebanese were allegedly involved. The prosecution bases its indictment, among other things, on statements from witnesses – including alleged friends of the victim – as well as on forensic findings.

Background of the Crime

The defense presents a different account of events. In a second version of the events, the victim's friend allegedly intervened, struck the defendant, bit him in the ear, and threw him onto the hood of a car – only afterwards did the Lebanese stab from behind. This account serves as the basis for the self-defense argument with which the defense contests the classification as attempted murder.

The prosecution, by contrast, considers the elements of attempted murder to be met because the defendant allegedly delivered the stab deliberately and from a position that suggests an intent to kill. The indictment points to the injuries to the 15-year-old's chest area and to the type of weapon used, which according to an expert report is described as a dagger. The dagger attack was therefore not spontaneous, but occurred in a phase of advanced escalation.

Self-Defense or Attempted Murder? – The Positions

On the sidelines of the hearing, it also became known that those involved had previously been in the accommodation and allegedly consumed alcohol and smoked marijuana there. According to assessments by participants in the proceedings, this plays a role both for the question of culpability and for the credibility of individual witness statements.

The defense and the prosecution have, in part, presented notably divergent accounts during the course of the proceedings so far. While the prosecution classifies the act as a planned attack with intent to kill, the defense seeks to establish that the defendant's actions were a spontaneous act of self-defense in an acute threatening situation. The court announced that it would continue taking evidence in the upcoming sessions.

Defendant's Statement

Observers of the hearing report that the defendant essentially stated that he had felt threatened and had only wanted to prevent harm coming to himself. In the proceedings, he said to the effect that he had survived „Gott sei Dank" and apparently acknowledged that the situation had spiraled out of control – without, however, admitting the intent to kill alleged by the prosecution.

The Linz Public Prosecutor's Office had previously brought the indictment for attempted murder after the investigations had substantiated the initial suspicion of an intentional killing. The proceedings are being conducted under exclusion of the public due to the minority of several of those involved; journalists were granted only limited access.

Further Course of Proceedings

The prosecution announced that further witnesses would be heard in the coming trial days and that the expert report on the knife used would be examined in greater depth. At the same time, the court is examining to what extent particular provisions of juvenile criminal law are to be taken into account. According to the current status, a verdict is not expected before the end of next week.