Starting December 9th, a trial will be held at the Vienna Regional Court before a jury regarding an arson attack on the Jewish section of Vienna’s Central Cemetery. A 27-year-old man, previously without a criminal record, is accused of setting fire to the anteroom of the ceremonial hall with an accelerant on the night of November 1, 2023, after climbing over a 1.5-meter-high outer wall and entering a side room of the domed building.
The vestibule of the ceremonial hall at Gate IV burned down. The defendant is alleged to have also defaced the outer walls with swastikas and far-right slogans before or after the fire. According to the Jewish Community of Vienna (IKG), which joined the criminal proceedings as a private party, the material damage amounted to a high six-figure sum. The vestibule was completely destroyed and had to be rebuilt, and the interior lining of the ceremonial hall had to be repaired. Among other things, a Torah ark without Torah scrolls and valuable, some very old, books were destroyed and irretrievably lost.
The act has so far been denied.
The main trial is currently scheduled for two days, as court spokeswoman Christina Salzborn confirmed to APA over the weekend. The verdict is expected on December 17. The 27-year-old has so far denied any involvement in the nighttime antisemitic arson attack. However, he is implicated by evidence secured at the scene, a DNA report, and the results of a call data analysis. The charges are based on Section 3f of the Prohibition Act : The man is thus charged with serious offenses – specifically arson and serious property damage – as a means of National Socialist activity. If convicted according to the charges, he faces a prison sentence of between ten and 20 years. The 27-year-old is currently free on bail.
The Austrian man of Turkish descent, who had no prior criminal record, was identified following extensive investigations by the State Criminal Police Office and the Vienna State Office for State Security and Extremism Prevention. According to reliable information obtained by the APA (Austrian Press Agency), the state security authorities had not been aware of him until then. He is not believed to have been involved in any antisemitic or right-wing extremist circles.
Spray cans, DNA on fabric
It was meticulous police work that ultimately led to charges being brought against the accused. Evidence was recovered from the burned-out anteroom of the ceremonial hall and subsequently examined by forensic experts. The 27-year-old was identified through the batch numbers of a protective jumpsuit and a spray can, which law enforcement believes can be traced back to him. Furthermore, DNA analysis of a fabric sample reportedly matches the 27-year-old’s genetic markers. Login data from his mobile phone is also said to prove that the man was within range of the Jewish section of the central cemetery shortly after midnight.
There may have been a second, as yet unknown, accomplice or someone who knew about the arson attack. This is suggested by a bottle left at the scene of the crime. The genetic markers of another man were found on this bottle.
The Jewish cemetery at Gate IV of Vienna’s Central Cemetery, covering more than 241,000 square meters, is one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Central Europe. It was first used in 1916 after the Jewish section at Gate I became too small. (APA, November 17, 2025)
