A verdict is expected next Monday in the trial of two Palestinian terrorists accused of attacking the Jewish community center here last August in which two persons were killed and 18 injured. If found guilty they face life imprisonment.
The trial of Marwan Hasan, 25 and Hesham Mohammed Radjeh, 21, opened yesterday in a heavily guarded courtroom. Radjeh is also charged with the murder of Vienna city councilman Heinz Nittel, a friend of Israel, who was fatally shot last May 1. He admitted the crime after his arrest but later retracted his confession. A third Palestinian, Bahij Younis, will go on trial at a later date. Police believe he planned the attack on the community center and provided Radjeh with the gun that killed Nittel.
The indictment charges Hasan and Radjeh with murder, attempted murder, illegal possession of arms and war material. It states that on August 29 they approached the Jewish community center on the Seitenstaettengasse in the inner city of Vienna and, as worshippers left the building after prayers, threw several hand grenades and fired more than 60 shots with submachine guns. Ulrike Kohout, 25 and Nathan Friend, 75 were killed. Two policemen and 16 other persons were wounded.
CLAIMS HE WAS OBEYING ORDERS
The two defendants are linked to Al Asifa, an extremist Palestinian terrorist organization. Radjeh confessed to attacking the community center but retracted an earlier statement that he had wanted to kill as many Jews as possible. He said that was the policy of Al Asifa but that he no longer believed in it.
Hasan did not plead guilty to murder. He characterized himself as a Palestinian soldier and said he was obeying orders to attack Israeli soldiers. According to Hasan, his orders were to shoot persons leaving the house on Seitenstaettengasse because they were Israeli soldiers in civilian clothes. He said they opened fire first and threw hand grenades at him. Hasan was wounded in the chest by the bodyguard of a Jewish businessman.
Hasan’s attorney argued that the accused had acted as a soldier and did not know he was violating Austrian law. Hasan insisted he did not intend to hurt Austrians. The defense demanded that Austrian Interior Minister Erwin Lanc be called to testify. Hasan alleged that Lanc had taken bribes from the Palestine Liberation Organization to allow a heavily armed PLO commando group to leave Austria after it was spotted by the authorities.
The judge noted that the two Palestinians were caught smuggling arms and were tried. One was convicted. Both were immediately expelled from the country. The Interior Ministry issued a statement rejecting Hasan’s charges as slanderous and without basis in fact.
BOMBING VICTIM IN GERMANY DIES
Meanwhile, a 14-month-old child died in West Berlin yesterday from wounds sustained when terrorists bombed an Israel-owned restaurant in that city last Friday. Twenty-four others were wounded in the attack, including the child’s parents. Police did not release the family name and identified the child only as Jennifer.
A $50,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators. Two Palestinian groups claimed responsibility for the outrage. Six Palestinian suspects were arrested shortly after the bombing but were released for lack of evidence.
West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt sent a telegram to Werner Nachmann, chairman of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, in which he said:
“I am deeply dismayed by news of the abominable attack on the Israeli restaurant in Berlin. I know my countrymen join me in condemning this immense crime. This act strengthens the firm determination of the federal government to confront every kind of anti-Semitism with all legal means. I assure you and our fellow Jewish countrymen of my sorrow and sympathy.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
