A Syrian man and a Romanian woman are facing trial for attempted murder near the Westbahnhof station.
A Vienna court is hearing a murder attempt case from September involving three teenagers accused of stabbing a 37-year-old man seven times in Emil-Maurer-Park (Emil Maurer Park) near Westbahnhof (West Station).
During one session, confusion arose when the victim failed to appear to testify. Authorities later confirmed he was being held in Eisenstadt Prison, not Josefstadt Prison in Vienna, forcing the court to postpone his testimony and increasing frustration over the case’s complexity.
According to prosecutors, the attack occurred on September 19 at around 10 p.m. The victim was stabbed in the legs, back, hands, and shoulder. Medical reports stated that rapid emergency treatment prevented his death from severe blood loss.
The defendants admitted they regularly visited the park area, describing it as a meeting place for socially vulnerable people and a location sometimes linked to drug use and frequent fights. The 17-year-old Syrian suspect claimed he argued with the victim, was struck on the nose, went to a 15-year-old Syrian girl’s apartment to get a knife, and returned to the park, saying he acted in self-defense. He added that the two girls joined him on the way.
However, the court heard sharply conflicting accounts. Each defendant denied responsibility for the most serious stab wounds and blamed unidentified individuals, while changing their statements several times. The 15-year-old Syrian girl admitted holding the knife but said she reacted instinctively when the victim allegedly hit her with a belt. The 15-year-old Romanian girl denied taking part in the attack, saying she only witnessed it and later hid the knife at the request of the first girl.
Forensic experts told the court that DNA tests did not clearly identify the attacker, as genetic traces from the suspects and unknown persons were found on some weapons. Several knives were seized ten days later and had been cleaned. Multiple witnesses, including the victim, were absent, leading to forced summons, while interpreters in Turkish, Arabic, Kurdish, and Persian outnumbered professional judges in the courtroom.
The trial is set to resume on Wednesday, when the missing witnesses are expected to testify. Judges have described the case as one of the most complex currently before the court, with a verdict to be delivered at a later stage.