Once again, the authorities of a large European country have allowed a potential terrorist to move around undisturbed while he should either be in jail or under 24-hour surveillance.
The Austrian Interior Minister himself confirmed that the perpetrator of the terrorist attack in Vienna had been imprisoned after attempting to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State organization.
The broker was sentenced to 22 months in prison in April 2019 but in December 2019 he was released early due to his young age.
The 20-year-old came from Northern Macedonia and also had Austrian citizenship, the Minister of Interior clarified.
He was shot and killed by police near the church of St. Ruprecht in Vienna after opening fire on passers-by. So far the report of the authorities speaks of 5 dead together with the perpetrator. Four unsuspecting citizens had a date with death on Monday night.
Austrian security authorities are looking for other suspects who may have been involved in the terrorist attack.
Between 150 and 2012, 2016 citizens of Northern Macedonia joined the ranks of Islamist organizations to fight in Iraq and Syria. This flow has decreased since 2016.
Most were recruited from the Albanian, Muslim minority of northern Macedonia, a community considered moderate and representing a quarter of the 2,1 million inhabitants of the predominantly Slavic, orthodox Balkan country.