IS-inspired teenager in Austria faces terrorism charges


Vienna, March 31 (IANS): A 14-year-old boy, enamoured with the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation, has been charged in Austria with forming a terrorist group and downloading bomb-making plans with the intention to commit a terrorist offence, media reported on Monday.

The teenager, referred to as "Merkan G", is accused by the St. Poelten city prosecutor's office of downloading plans on the internet for the construction of a bomb, which he then planned to detonate at either the Wien Westbahnhof railway station in Vienna, or along the tracks leading to it, Xinhua reported citing the Kronen Zeitung newspaper.

According to prosecutor office spokesperson Michaela Obenaus, authorities found "countless" IS propaganda photos and videos of beheadings, torture, mass executions on the accused teenager's laptop.

According to the teenager himself, he planned to travel to Syria to take part in IS activities, and is believed to have persuaded a 12-year-old boy to join him.

A psychological report on the teenager claims that he came to Austria, with his parents, as an asylum seeker in 2007, but his father was deported. Psychologists said that the boy was deeply radicalised and defended his beliefs.

He was first arrested last year, before being released in November on the condition that he regularly reported to the police, attended school and undertook psychological counselling.

After disappearing in January, he was later found and arrested once again and has been in custody in St. Poelten ever since. Court proceedings are set to begin in May.

  

Top Stories


Leave a Comment

Title: IS-inspired teenager in Austria faces terrorism charges



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.