An Austrian citizen convicted of terrorist offences and membership of Islamic State is back in court in Graz after threatening to behead another inmate and forming a terror cell behind bars.
Albanian-born Lorenz K., who was sentenced to nine years in prison following his arrest in 2017 for plotting a terrorist attack, is facing charges in the Graz Criminal District Court after a 27-year-old Afghan migrant inmate claimed the terrorist had threatened to cut off his head.
“If you are a man, come to my cell. I’ll finish you off. I’ll cut your head off because I’m a terrorist. You’re not a real Muslim,” the 21-year-old allegedly told the Afghan, Austrian tabloid Kronen Zeitung reports.
Radical Islamist ‘Hate Books’ Found in Austrian Prison Library
https://t.co/yg6rcRyLP0— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) October 23, 2017
The Afghan testified in court that the reason Lorenz K. had threatened him was because he had become an atheist. He said: “He offered to help me read the Quran and become a Muslim again, but I said no because I stand by my decision.”
The Afghan also claimed that the 21-year-old had sexually assaulted him in prison, as well, but stated he had not reported it previously.
Wolfgang Blaschitz, the lawyer for the Islamic State terrorist, questioned why the Afghan had not reported the sexual assault, to which the alleged victim said he was embarrassed.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Lorenz K. had also set up a terrorist cell in Graz-Karlau prison with two other inmates, one of whom was in prison for life. The trio allegedly not only plotted attacks but were found with bomb components in their cells.
Senior Imam: Austrian Prisons ‘Breeding Grounds’ for Islamic Extremism https://t.co/B8nAsMuyXW
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) November 29, 2017
While behind bars, Lorenz K. was also able to use smuggled mobile phones to communicate with those who had travelled to Syria to fight for Islamic State through social media apps like Instagram. He not only had ISIS propaganda in his possession but also had an Islamic State flag in his cell, as well.
“This flag was always in the cell. Everyone knew it, and no one did anything,” Lorenz K. is said to have told investigators.
Austria has had issues with radicalism in prisons in the past, such as in 2017 when a senior imam labelled Austria’s prison system a breeding ground for Islamic extremism. That same year, radical Islamist texts were found in the library of Korneuburg prison.
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