Vienna (OTS) – During the Christmas holidays, previously unknown perpetrators carried out an arson attack on the Maria Namen parish church in Ottakring: between midday and evening mass, the entrance area of the church was set on fire on Tuesday, December 26th. Thanks to the rapid intervention of the fire brigade and police, something worse was prevented.
ÖVP Ottakring Chairman Stefan Trittner: “I am shocked by this cowardly arson attack and at the same time relieved that no people were harmed. We are resolutely opposing this act of hatred and violence. The pastor and the entire parish community are doing incredibly valuable work for our district. An attack on a church is not just a local arson attack, but an attack on our culture and on our peaceful coexistence. Vienna is generally a safe city, but extremist incidents have been increasing in Ottakring for several years. You can too Don’t believe in coincidence when an arson attack is carried out on a church over the Christmas holidays. Just a few days ago, 3 terror suspects were arrested by special police forces in the large Ottakring refugee shelter. We thank the emergency services for being on site so quickly prevented a catastrophe.”
background information
Before Christmas, 3 terror suspects were arrested by special police forces in a refugee shelter in Ottakring. Also active in Ottakring is the Dar al Janub association, which is described by the Political Islam Documentation Center as an anti-Semitic association that spreads propaganda glorifying violence and serves as a link between Islamists and radical leftists. The perpetrator of the November 2020 terrorist attack in downtown Vienna also became radicalized in a mosque in Ottakring, among other places.
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