Three Arab terrorists will go on trial here January 18 for an attack on the Jewish community center and synagogue last August in which two people were killed and 18 injured. One of the accused, Mohammed Husham Radjih, is also expected to be charged with the murder of Heinz Nittel, a Vienna city councilman and friend of Israel who was fatally shot last May 1.
Radjih and Hassan Marvan, arrested on August 29, confessed to the attack and implicated another Arab, Bahij Younis, who they said planned the operation and provided them with weapons. Younis was subsequently arrested in Salzburg.
Radjih reportedly also confessed to killing Nittel with a Makarov pistol found in Younis’ apartment. He said Younis had given him the weapon for the murder. Ballistics tests proved Nittel was shot with that gun. But Radjih, facing a possible life sentence, changed his story.
He admits to attacking the community center but claimed he was not in Austria when Nittel was shot and that he does not know who killed him. The authorities have discounted this. Police say Radjih gave them certain details of the murder which establish that he was the assassin.
Several lawyers have refused to handle Radjih’s defense on grounds that they have Jewish clients. The court is expected to appoint a defense attorney.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
