Vandals smash windows at Turkish mosque in Vienna

Two unidentified men were captured on CCTV vandalising a Turkish mosque in Vienna on Wednesday, according to the Austrian news website, Heute.

The masked men smashed the entrance floor windows of the Turkish-Islamic Culture and Social Assistance Union’s (ATIP) Central Mosque. The ATIP manages around 60 mosques across Austria.

In the CCTV footage, one attacker is seen checking the area surrounding the mosque before smashing the windows, while the other filmed the incident on his mobile phone.

The mosque’s chairman, Fatih Yilmaz, condemned the attack, saying: "The attacks are worrying. Such attacks are poisonous for our coexistence and peace in our country."

"In Austria there is no place for any form of Muslim hostility, terrorism and racism. Any attack on [places of worship] must be prosecuted and punished with the utmost severity," he added.

Spokespeople for the mosque have called on local authorities to increase protective measures.

The Turkish Consul-General in Vienna, Cafer Mert Özmert, visited ATIP’s headquarters and demanded the arrest of the perpetrators.

So sehen Feiglinge aus! Rambo spielen, aber die Gesichter brav vermummt! Jetzt ist die @LPDWien gefragt, ich hoffe dass die Angreifer schnellstmöglich gefunden werden! #keinplatzfürhass pic.twitter.com/1myZ4Oy8FB

— Muhammed Yüksek (@m_yueksek) February 2, 2022

Muhammed Yuksek, an Austria’s Social Democratic Party (SPO) councillor for the district of Favoriten, condemned the attack on social media.

The mosque was previously vandalised in September 2020, according to Al Jazeera Mubasher.