Herbert Kickl – Eye on Islamism

Austrian leader pushes EU asylum overhaul under far-right pressure The bloc’s asylum laws 'no longer correspond to their original intention,' Austria’s Chancellor Christian Stocker says in FT interview.

May 25, 2025 Lola Boom

(Politico) Austria’s Chancellor Christian Stocker is calling for an overhaul of EU asylum rules as his government faces mounting pressure from the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), which topped last year’s parliamentary elections. Stocker, leader of the center-right People’s Party (ÖVP), said in […]

Austria to boost ‘political Islam’ watchdog in coalition deal New government to step up anti-extremism efforts after spate of ISIS-linked plots

February 28, 2025 Tim Stickings

(National-UAE) Austria plans to widen the role of an Islamist extremism watchdog known for exposing the Muslim Brotherhood’s activities in Europe, as part of a deal to form a new government. The three-party coalition is vowing to step up Austria’s anti-extremism efforts […]

Suspect in fatal stabbing in Austria had an ‘Islamic terror motive,’ officials say

February 16, 2025 Stephanie Liechtenstein

(AP) Austrian authorities said Sunday the stabbing of six people that left a 14-year-old boy dead was carried out by a man with possible connections to the Islamic State group who appeared to have acted alone. The suspect, a 23-year-old Syrian, was […]

Syrian arrested after deadly stabbing attack in Austria

February 15, 2025 Julia Zappei

(AFP) A Syrian asylum seeker was arrested after a teenager was stabbed to death and five other people were wounded in southern Austria Saturday, police said, sending shock waves through the Alpine nation. The attack comes just two days after a suspected […]

Incoming Austrian government to crack down on those ‘unwilling to integrate’ As coalition talks continue, the fight against political Islam is the one area where the two parties are close to consensus.

February 11, 2025 Zoltán Kottász

(European Conservative) Negotiations between the right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ) and the centre-right People’s Party (ÖVP) to form the next Austrian government have still not come to a conclusion, following a month of talks. The one issue both parties have come to an […]

Austria’s rightward shift puts immigration in crosshairs

September 30, 2024 Louis van Boxel-Woolf

(Reuters) Picknicking with friends in the park after prayers at a Vienna mosque, Saima Arab, a 20-year-old pedicurist originally from Afghanistan, is thankful for her freedoms in Austria. “We could never do this in Afghanistan, never cook, go out, just sit in […]

Austria narrows down threat of attack in Vienna mainly to Syrian locations

March 16, 2023 Francois Murphy

(Reuters) Austria’s domestic intelligence service has narrowed down primarily to Syria-related locations the threat of an Islamist attack in Vienna that was made public on Wednesday, the city’s police said on Thursday. The police took the unusual step on Wednesday of warning […]

Austria admits security failings over Vienna gunman

November 4, 2020 Jastinder Khera

(AFP) Austria acknowledged Wednesday there had been security failings leading up to the deadly gun rampage in Vienna by a convicted Islamic State sympathiser. Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said intelligence services had received a warning from neighbouring Slovakia that the assailant had […]

Czech police detain two linked to accused German railway attacker

March 28, 2019 Kirsti Knolle and Jason Hovet

(Reuters) Czech police have detained two people as suspected associates of an Iraqi citizen arrested in Austria on suspicion of carrying out attacks on the German railway, Austrian Interior Minister Herbert Kickl said on Thursday. Czech police confirmed on their Twitter page […]

Austria to withdraw consular protection for IS fighters: newspaper

March 6, 2019 Tassilo Hummel and Madeline Chambers

(Reuters) Austria is to withdraw consular protection for citizens who have fought for the Islamic State militant group, Die Presse daily reported on Wednesday, rejecting a call from the United States for allies to take back captured fighters and put them on […]