Because of shocking allegations of violence, four young people from the city of Salzburg – all Austrians with a migration background, three are employed, one attends a vocational school – had to take a seat in front of a Salzburg jury on Thursday.
According to the indictment, the quartet, the 19-year-old main suspect and three friends, 20 and 21 years old, drove to Straßwalchen in the after hours of August 23, 2022 – armed with a baseball bat, a golf club and a knife.
Background: The 19-year-old main defendant, he has Turkish roots, wanted to beat up a man in Straßwalchen whose sister he has a relationship with. However, the – later – victim, he comes from a Kurdish family, was not in agreement with this relationship. Therefore, according to prosecutor Karin Sperling, there have been tensions for a long time.
According to the indictment, the quartet came across the chosen victim, who was traveling with several acquaintances. When the group of five saw the four young men, they fled. A little later, the car was stopped at an intersection, so the defendants hit the occupants and the car; one victim suffered facial fractures and was briefly unconscious.
Defense attorney Robert Morianz, who represents all the accused, emphasized that he “did not want to trivialize anything”; However, only the main defendant was “totally freaked out. And only he used a weapon”. The co-defendants were not responsible for “intentional serious bodily harm, but at most attempted bodily harm”.
By the way, there was a fifth man in the dock. This – 23-year-old and also with a migration background – is said to have contributed to the incriminated attacks by the quartet, in which, according to the public prosecutor’s office, he told them via cell phone where the later victims were.
The trial will continue on Friday, with verdicts expected later in the afternoon.
