Austrian intelligence agents should have raised the alarm about a known ISIS supporter before he killed four people in a 2020 terrorist attack in Vienna, an inquiry has found.
A counter-terrorism team failed to pass on evidence that Kujtim Fejzulai was seeking ammunition for an AK-47 rifle, its report said.
He opened fire with his AK-47 in Vienna’s city centre on November 4, 2020, in a nine-minute rampage that ended with his death in a shoot-out with police.
It was Austria’s worst terrorist attack in decades and led to questions about why Fejzulai, a dual national of Austria and North Macedonia, had not been stopped.
He was jailed in 2019 after trying to travel to Syria and spreading ISIS propaganda on social media, but was released on probation later that year.
In July 2020, his name surfaced again after Europol reported that two men had tried to buy ammunition from an arms dealer in Slovakia, but were refused because of missing paperwork.
The interior ministry later claimed there was only a “vague suspicion” that Fejzulai was one of the men seen in the blurry surveillance footage from Slovakia.
But the new report by an Austrian ombudsman said there was ample evidence for counter-terrorism specialists, who had dealt with Fejzulai before, to alert prosecutors.
“From a human perspective it is understandable that people now play down the significance of recognising Fejzulai in the blurry images, and describe it as a vague suspicion,” the report said.
“However, the facts laid out by the ombudsman’s office debunk this attempt to play it down.”
The report said there was also other evidence implicating Fejzulai in the attempted arms deal, including a car registration linked to a known associate’s mother.
The AK-47 is known to be a popular weapon among Islamist extremists because it is robust and easy to handle, it said.
However, authorities apparently took the view that if Fejzulai were plotting an attack, he would not be so brazen as to buy ammunition under his own name.
On October 16, Slovakian authorities reported that the arms dealer had identified Fejzulai as the man who tried to buy AK-47 ammunition from him in July.
At this point, Austrian officials stepped up their inquiries into Fejzulai, but they failed to alert prosecutors before he opened fire in Vienna on November 4.
The report said they should not have waited for the arms dealer’s word, when he was untrained in criminal investigations and they knew Fejzulai better than the salesman did.
There had also been intelligence reports that Fejzulai was resuming his efforts to travel to Syria, and had been seen at a gathering of extremists in Vienna in July 2020.
Despite these clues, the view was taken that Fejzulai was not suspected of any crime with which he could be charged.
The failure to alert prosecutors was “a case of maladministration with serious consequences”, the ombudsman’s report said.
The counter-terror unit was dissolved and replaced in the aftermath of the mass shooting.
Austria’s parliament also passed anti-terror measures in July 2021 aimed at stamping out “political Islam”, as ministers often call it.
It gave authorities new powers to shut mosques suspected of harbouring radicalism and cut off their financing from abroad.
The report is not the first to criticise European security agencies after terrorist attacks. The culprit in Berlin's 2016 Christmas market rampage was deemed not to be a threat despite extremist sympathies, an inquiry found.
The murder of British MP David Amess in October 2021 likewise led to questions about whether the controversial Prevent scheme was working.
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
Emirates Cricket Board Women’s T10
ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons
Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page
Hawks
Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar
Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish
Falcons
Coach: Najeeb Amar
Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh
Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
1999 - 1st round
2000 - 1st round
2001 - Quarter-finalist
2002 - 1st round
2003 - Winner
2004 - Winner
2005 - Winner
2006 - Winner
2007 - Winner
2008 - Finalist
2009 - Winner
2010 - Quarter-finalist
2011 - Quarter-finalist
2012 - Winner
2013 - 2nd round
2014 - Finalist
2015 - Finalist
2016 - Semi-finalist
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
