Austria ends cooperation with Derad deradicalization group

The Austrian Ministry of Justice has terminated its cooperation with Derad, an association tasked with the deradicalization of convicted terrorists and extremists. This decision follows a report from the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence (DSN), which indicated that observations regarding extremism and radicalization suggested the association may have been infiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood.

Following the findings, the DSN has requested Derad’s exclusion from the Federal Network for Extremism Prevention and Deradicalization (BNED). Ernst Gödl, the security spokesperson for the ÖVP, called for a full investigation into how an organization influenced by radical forces was entrusted with deradicalization efforts.

Moussa Al-Hassan Diaw, co-founder and chairman of Derad, has denied the allegations, describing them as “complete nonsense” and “sheer madness.” He stated that the association has consistently warned against the Muslim Brotherhood and has even provided training to state security agencies to increase awareness regarding the group.

Derad currently manages approximately 200 individuals in its programs and has overseen roughly 800 people since 2016. Legal experts have noted that the sudden cessation of this partnership may leave a significant gap in the supervision of young adults and former Islamists undergoing court-mandated deradicalization programs.