Residents of a neighborhood near Gostivar, where the family of 19-year-old Beran Aliji, suspected of planning a terrorist attack in Vienna, Austria, is from, the case, while his relatives behind the cameras express shock.
As the Voice of America correspondent from Gostivar reports, security experts blame the Muslim religious clergy for indoctrinating young people from the region.
This is the Pitarnica neighborhood at the exit of Gostivar towards the village of Çajlë. Residents say that this is the house of the Aliji family who immigrated to Austria, as many other residents do in search of a better life. The residents here do not want to talk about Beran Aliji's case and hardly know him since he was born and raised in Austria.
The suspect's cousins express regret for what happened behind the camera because they do not want to speak publicly.
Other residents, such as Muzafer Selmani, find it hard to believe how a young man originating from this district could prepare a terrorist act, for which he is accused by the Austrian authorities:
“I am surprised that as a child… I was surprised how Albanians or Muslims have reached a state of committing terrorism… We go there for a bite of bread to work and live. I can't believe it… we're used to it and they've always burdened us with trouble,” says Mr. Selmani.
Young people who spend time in a neighborhood cafe have not heard of the case nor do they know the Aliji family.
“I heard about that case from you and if he is our fellow citizen, it is a tragic thing and the family members should see if he had any illness or why he came to that case. We don't know the person.” says Mevlan Zendeli, an economist by profession from the Pitarnica neighborhood of Gostivar.
The municipal authorities of Gostivar also do not want to comment on the case, on the grounds that the family in question does not live here and that they are citizens of Austria.
According to security experts, young Albanians of the Islamic faith from North Macedonia, until a few years ago, were the prey of recruitment for the needs of the Islamic State or other structures in the Middle East, and this number has reached several hundred, but with the approval of the law by the Parliament in Skopje for the punishment of citizens who engage in foreign armies and wars and with the weakening of the Islamic State, the number of these people is estimated to have dropped significantly.
Professor Mitasin Beqiri, expert on security issues and university lecturer of Criminal Law and Criminology, in a conversation with the Voice of America, evaluates the latest case in Vienna as “external political terrorism of greater proportions”.
“The issue of political criminality or extremism, terrorism is taking on larger proportions, unfortunately, and it does not choose either the new age or the borders. Terrorism crosses the borders of the national territory of a state or country. “Unfortunately, the perpetrator of the indecent act in Vienna happened to be (originally) from here and this shows that extremism knows neither country nor borders.”says Mr. Beqiri.
The expert sees the lack of cooperation and coordination between the school, the local government, the central government and the family itself as a source of ideological influences and deviation of young people.
Mr. Beqiri, who is also a resident of the municipality of Gostivar, estimates that the religious clergy encourages indoctrination, or does not engage in removing young people from these actions.
“The source of the ideology can be said to come from the Near East; someone says from Iran, Iraq, or Syria. In any case, the source comes from where it is, but here when they find room for action it is worse than when someone who is called to prevent this kind of negative phenomenon – they are involved in this kind of criminality. In fact, even the clergy, if it is their duty to take… even in the Quranic verses it is said that terrorism, murder, mistreatment, misuse, etc. are forbidden and not allowed. says Mr. Beqiri.
Mitasin Beqiri calls for society to be more active in preventing these extremist behaviors and actions.
“At the same time, some institutions should deal with this negative phenomenon of criminality, such as: law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, society as a whole and the country's politics”. emphasizes the expert on security issues.
The main suspect in the preparation of the terrorist act at the concert of the American singer Taylor Swift, 19-year-old Beran Aliji planned to attack the spectators gathered outside the Ernst Happel stadium, up to 30,000 each night, with another 65,000 inside the stadium, with knives or tools homemade explosives.
The plot, according to Austrian authorities, was inspired by the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda, as the main suspect, as well as the 18-year-old arrested on Thursday, “sworn allegiance” to the Islamic State.
