A young man from Austria faces execution in Riyadh
The Austrian young man Hassan E., 20 years old, spent more than a year in a high-security prison in Saudi Arabia after being accused of carrying out a stabbing attack at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The incident occurred on March 11 of last year and resulted in the injury of five people, including security personnel and a woman who was present at the scene.
The Saudi authorities did not announce the incident directly, and information about it did not reach the Austrian authorities until several days later. Later, information emerged indicating that Hassan E. was part of an 'Austrian terrorist cell,' allegedly including Bran A., who is still detained in Austria on charges of planning an attack on a concert by singer Taylor Swift in Vienna.
The trial of Hassan E. is expected to begin in Riyadh in a few weeks, where he faces nine charges and could potentially be sentenced to death, a penalty that is practiced in Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities remain silent about the details, and only very limited communication with the prisoner is allowed. The only confirmed visit was from an Austrian delegation on his birthday last fall.
According to reports, the young man attempted suicide while in custody. His health condition is currently unknown, and he is held in a prison known for housing suspects in terrorism cases and political prisoners. Amnesty International states that torture is practiced there.
Visits by Western representatives to the prisoner face difficulties, including the failed attempt by an Interpol official to meet him. However, the young man seems to still be able to communicate with his family regularly by phone.
Hassan E.'s upbringing was troubled; he grew up in the Bruck/Leitha area of Lower Austria and faced family issues that escalated into violence from a young age. After his parents' separation, he moved with his mother and some siblings to Istanbul, then returned to Austria to live with his sick father, who later passed away. After that, his relationship with his girlfriend deteriorated, and he returned to Istanbul for a year before traveling to Mecca.
Before the attack, he sent an email to his brother apologizing, saying: "I'm sorry, but I had no choice," and expressed his wish to be buried in Mecca and specified the distribution of his inheritance. The next day, the brother reported his disappearance, but by that time he had already been arrested.
The details of the incident indicate that Hassan bought a knife from a market in Mecca and attacked a security officer in front of the Grand Mosque, then stabbed three others when they tried to intervene, and injured a woman who was present.
Investigations indicate that the attack was part of a coordinated plan with other attacks that were supposed to take place in Dubai and Istanbul, by partners from Austria. Bran A., the main suspect in the Taylor Swift concert case, is believed to have been tasked with carrying out the operation in Dubai, but he backed out. The perpetrator in Istanbul remains unknown to this day.
It is believed that Hassan E. is the only one who actually executed his plan. Bran A.'s lawyer stated, "The Austrian authorities do not seem interested in trying to retrieve him." The Austrian Foreign Ministry merely stated that the Austrian embassy is in contact with him and provides consular support during permitted visits, and is following developments with the family and Saudi authorities, without providing information about the case proceedings or potential punishment.