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Suspected Vienna Terrorist Was Released from Prison Early

[additional-authors]
November 3, 2020
Candles are placed next to a bullet hole in the city center the day after a deadly shooting spree on November 03, 2020 in Vienna, Germany. (Photo by Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images)

The suspected gunman behind the ISIS November 2 terror attack in Vienna, Austria was reportedly released from prison early in December.

The gunman has been identified as 20-year-old Fejzulai Kujtim, a dual citizen of both Austria and Macedonia. Kujtim was shot and killed by police on November 2. In April 2019, Kujtim was sentenced to 22 months in prison on charges of attempting to join in ISIS in Syria; he was released early in December on parole, CNN reported.

Kujtim is believed to have acted alone; 14 others have been arrested in connection to the shooting, including two Swiss citizens. The shooting, which took place in six different locations nearby a synagogue and Jewish community center, resulted in at least four people killed and at least 22 others injured. The synagogue was closed at the time of the shooting.

ISIS is claiming responsibility for the attack, identifying the gunman as “Abu Dujana Al-Albany” on Telegram.

Following the Vienna terror attack and an October 29 stabbing attack in Nice, France, Britain is currently on a “severe” terror threat level, meaning “that an attack is highly likely but there is no specific intelligence of an imminent incident,” according to the BBC. Home Secretary Priti Patel said the move was “a precautionary measure.”

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