Two Brothers Convicted for Terror Group Membership in Vienna Pride Case

A court in Vienna has convicted two brothers, aged 20 and 23, of membership in a terrorist and criminal organization, sentencing them to six months and one year of conditional imprisonment, respectively. The verdicts are not yet legally binding.

The trial, which was held behind closed doors, focused on alleged plans to attack the Vienna Pride event for the LGBTIQ+ community on June 17, 2023. However, the presiding judge stated there was no evidence linking the brothers directly to an attack on the Pride event, and no such evidence was provided by foreign authorities.

Despite the lack of evidence for direct involvement in an attack plot, the judge affirmed that both brothers engaged in propaganda for the radical Islamist group "Islamic State" (IS). The court expressed "not the slightest doubt" that they had drifted towards and harbored sympathies for IS at the time. Nevertheless, they were acquitted of participation in the "Islamic State - Khorasan Province" (ISPK) group.

This case follows a similar conviction from mid-July 2025, where a 16-year-old was sentenced to six months of conditional imprisonment for terrorist and criminal organization charges. The trial proceedings have included witness testimonies and expert opinions, with the case having been previously adjourned for an IT assessment.