The Düsseldorf District Court issued arrest warrants against three teenagers aged 15 and 16 on suspicion of terrorism. This comes after four teenagers from North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg were arrested on Easter for planning a terrorist attack. A confidential report reveals that the teenagers discussed making explosives in their chat group.
The teenagers, some as young as 15, were reportedly planning an Islamist bomb attack. Previous reports mentioned Molotov cocktails, but the new report from the North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Ministry to the state parliament indicates that they exchanged instructions for making explosives in their chats. The arrested teenagers included a 15-year-old from Düsseldorf, a 15-year-old from Lippstadt, a 16-year-old from Iserlohn, and a 16-year-old from Ostfildern in Baden-Württemberg. They reportedly expressed willingness to commit murder and manslaughter in preparation for a serious act of violence.
According to the report sent by Minister Herbert Reul to the state parliament, the 16-year-old from Iserlohn came to the attention of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution because she had viewed propaganda material from the Islamic State (IS) and wanted to travel to Syria. During a raid on Maundy Thursday, her phone and a knife were seized, as well as a machete from her brother’s room. Chat logs with the other suspected teenagers were found on her phone.
The chat discussions centered around planning an attack in Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Iserlohn, or Stuttgart with bombs by the end of May. The 16-year-old had mentioned bringing her brother’s machete to the attack as well. The teenagers’ plans were uncovered through their online communications, which involved detailed discussions about carrying out a terrorist attack in several German cities.
The teenagers were found to be in possession of dangerous weapons and had espoused extremist ideologies. The authorities were able to intervene before their plans were carried out, preventing a potential tragedy. The case highlights the vulnerability of young individuals to radicalization and the importance of monitoring and intervention to prevent acts of terrorism. The teenagers are now in custody, facing charges of planning and preparation for a terrorist attack, and will undergo legal proceedings to determine their culpability.
