Austria Bungles Investigation of Muslim Brotherhood
The collapse of a high-profile case against anti-“Islamophobia” activists in Austria is a setback for the government’s efforts to counter political Islam in the country.
Austria Bungles Investigation of Muslim Brotherhood
Soeren Kern | Focus on Western Islamism | January 13, 2023
A high-profile campaign against Islamic extremism in Austria is on the brink of collapse after courts exonerated more than two dozen influential Islamists of terrorism charges due to insufficient evidence. The legal setbacks represent an unmitigated disaster for the Austrian government’s efforts to counter political Islam.
The suspects, who were the focus of Operation Luxor, a high-profile nationwide counter-terrorism operation carried out in November 2020, have avoided formal charges through a combination of skillful legal wrangling by their attorneys, incompetence on the part of Austrian law enforcement officials, and lenient rulings from sympathetic judges.
The failed crackdown on non-violent Islamism in Austria is likely to have dire long-term consequences for the country, where efforts to counter political Islam are being stymied by multiculturalism, political correctness, and deep divisions in domestic politics over the role and perceived danger of Islamism.
