Trial against alleged IS supporters over planned attacks on Vienna Pride continues

The alleged attack plans only became known the day after the rainbow parade. The investigations led the authorities to a trail of chat messages in which the accused sought contact with a Ukrainian who declared himself willing to carry out a suicide attack. The two brothers are said to have repeatedly encouraged him in his intentions and urged him to carry out the act.

As emerges from the indictment, the three originally accused former supporters of the radical Islamic terrorist militia Islamic State are said to have encountered violence-prone and heavily radicalized like-minded foreigners in the Telegram group "psychology1444." The chats are also said to have been used to spread the ideology of the Islamic State and the group that emerged from it, Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP).

Role of digital platforms

The 20-year-old main defendant is said to have internalized IS ideology at least since March 2022 and to have publicly propagated it on platforms such as TikTok and Telegram or via his PlayStation profile, where he glorified the Islamic State and spread its ideology. The 23-year-old, in turn, is alleged to have propagated the "stabbing" and hunting of infidels in a chat.

Already on the first day of the trial in mid-July 2025, a 16-year-old who was involved in the complex was finally sentenced to six months on probation. According to the court, he had made himself criminally liable to a lesser extent than the two brothers, against whom proceedings are now continuing.

Status of the proceedings and outlook

The public prosecutor's office in St. Pölten emphasized in its opening statement last year that the defendants are not accused of the immediate execution of the act. "Das wird ihnen auch nicht zur Last gelegt, das ist nicht der Anklagegegenstand," the prosecutor stressed. The indictment relies primarily on the evaluation of digital traces and chat logs.

In general, according to the public prosecutor's office in St. Pölten, the possible attack on Pride 2023 — which had come into media focus — was not imminent. The security authorities had apparently identified and monitored the suspicious communication channels at an early stage, so that the event on 17 June 2023 could take place without incident.

On the current day of the hearing, chat histories and propaganda material were reportedly dealt with again. The defense of the two brothers denies the charges and questions in particular the scope of the acts committed. The hearing will continue; a verdict is expected in the coming weeks.

The case is considered one of the most sensational terrorism trials in Austria in recent years. It casts a spotlight on the radicalization of young people via social media and gaming platforms, as well as on the cross-border networking of Islamist cells in Europe. Observers expect that the proceedings will also raise questions for prevention work beyond the specific case.