On the night of November 1, 2023, an arson attack was carried out on the Jewish section of Vienna’s Central Cemetery. The vestibule of the ceremonial hall near Gate IV burned down, and the exterior walls were defaced with swastikas and right-wing extremist slogans. After extensive investigations by the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) and the Vienna State Office for State Protection and Combating Extremism (LSE), a suspect was identified and charged.
The accused is a 27-year-old Austrian of Turkish descent who has no previous criminal record. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution also did not have the man on its radar, according to the APA. He is unlikely to have moved in relevant anti-Semitic or right-wing extremist circles. The man reportedly denies the nighttime attack, in which an accelerant was used, but is incriminated by traces recovered at the crime scene, a DNA test, and the results of a call data analysis.
Accused of serious crimes as a means of National Socialist activity
As Christina Salzborn, spokesperson for the regional court, confirmed to APA on Wednesday, the public prosecutor’s office has filed charges under Section 3f of the Prohibition Act (VbtG). The man is thus accused of serious crimes—specifically, arson and serious property damage—as a means of Nazi activity. In the upcoming trial before a jury court—no date has yet been set—the defendant faces a prison sentence of between ten and 20 years if convicted. The 27-year-old is currently at liberty.
The property damage allegedly caused by the defendant amounts to a high six-figure sum, as the Israelite Religious Community (IKG) explained on Wednesday. “The completely destroyed vestibule had to be rebuilt, and the interior lining of the ceremonial hall had to be repaired. Among other things, a Torah shrine without any Torah scrolls burned, as well as valuable, some very old books, which are irretrievably lost,” the IKG said in response to an APA inquiry.
Meticulous police work led to successful investigation
The fact that the suspect was traced is thanks to meticulous police work. Trace evidence was recovered from the burned-out anteroom of the ceremonial hall and was subjected to forensic examination. The batch numbers of a protective overall and a spray can, which law enforcement authorities believe can be linked to the defendant, led to the identification of the 27-year-old. Furthermore, according to DNA analysis, a trace of a substance shows the genetic characteristics of the 27-year-old. Login data from his cell phone also allegedly proves that the man was within the transmission range of the Jewish section of the Central Cemetery shortly after midnight.
In his previous interrogations, the defendant has denied climbing over a one-and-a-half-meter-high wall to set fire to an adjoining room of the domed house. He also claimed to have nothing to do with the right-wing extremist graffiti.
There were allegedly unidentified accomplices
There was likely an accomplice in the arson attack. This is certainly suggested by a bottle left at the crime scene, which bore the genetic characteristics of another man.
The Jewish cemetery at Gate IV of Vienna’s Central Cemetery is one of the largest Jewish resting places in Central Europe, covering more than 241,000 square meters. It was used from 1916 onwards, after the Jewish section at Gate I had become too small.
IKG President Oskar Deutsch thanked the authorities “for their consistent investigative work surrounding this heinous anti-Semitic attack, which, in addition to the material damage, has also caused a heightened sense of insecurity in the Jewish community.” The decisive action of the constitutional state is “an essential component of the effective fight against all forms of anti-Semitism. Those who commit such crimes must know that they will be held accountable,” Deutsch stated in a statement provided to the APA.
