Defender of Villach's assassin is certain - who is Philipp Tschernitz?

Defender of Villach's assassin is certain - who is Philipp Tschernitz?

The horror of the knife attack in Villach makes headlines: A 23-year-old Syrian is on trial due to murder and five-time attempted murder. On February 15, he killed a 14-year-old with a knife and seriously injured five other people. The investigation by the Klagenfurt public prosecutor's office is in full swing, such as Kleine Zeitung . The suspect became known to the terrorist organization of Islamic State (IS) before the crime; In his apartment, the investigators found an IS flag and propaganda material.

Now it is clear who will defend the alleged assassin: the lawyer Philipp Tschernitz's lawyer was appointed as a procedural assistant. Despite his experience in large jury processes, Tschernitz is cautious: "I have not yet received the decision and I don't know the act on the case yet. Therefore I can't say anything about it at the moment", quotes him exxpress.at . He has 14 days to take over the defense or to appeal; However, the possibilities for rejection are severely restricted.

Investigations and conditions of the victims

The suspect sits in solitary confinement under strict safety precautions. In his first question, he expressed the desire to "kill as many people as possible," said public prosecutor's spokesman Markus Kitz. Psychiatric reports and the evaluation of electronic data carriers, including cell phones, are currently underway. So far, the Syrian is silent about the allegations, while the two roommates who lived with him in a shared apartment were already questioned as witnesses and there is no suspicion of them.

Good news reaches the public from the Klagenfurt Clinic: The two 15-year-old victims who were most seriously injured have now left the intensive care unit and are now at the Intermediate Care Station. The third injured, a 28-year-old, has already left the hospital. The presumption of innocence continues to apply.