Germany Three young people on trial for suspected terror plans
Three young people have been on trial in Germany since Friday for allegedly planning Islamist-motivated terrorist attacks.
13.12.2024, 13:12
SDA
A 16-year-old girl from Düsseldorf, a 17-year-old girl from Iserlohn and a 15-year-old boy from Lippstadt (all in North Rhine-Westphalia) are on trial at Düsseldorf Regional Court. They are accused of preparing a serious crime endangering the state.
Planned attacks on churches
According to the indictment, the three, together with a 16-year-old teenager from Ostfildern - who is being tried at Stuttgart Regional Court in Baden-Württemberg - had exchanged information about various terror plans via the messaging services Telegram, Session and Discord. Initially, attacks in courthouses, train stations and police stations were discussed. Ultimately, however, the young people decided on attacks in churches.
According to the indictment, the plan was "to infiltrate Christian churches in spring on a Sunday during the fasting month of Ramadan and shoot and stab the visitors there". The churches were then to be set on fire with Molotov cocktails.
They are said to have obtained instructions on how to make Molotov cocktails and other explosive devices. The group is said to have scouted out Dortmund, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Iserlohn as possible attack locations.
The three are being tried in camera for reasons of youth protection. In addition to the defense attorneys and employees of the juvenile court, only the parents and legal guardians of the underage defendants were admitted to the courtroom at the start of the trial. The defendants were later brought into the courtroom from the detention center.
In custody since Easter
According to sources close to the trial, two of the juvenile defendants are said to have already made extensive statements about the allegations during the preliminary proceedings.
The young people were targeted by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution because the Iserlohn woman apparently wanted to join the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia in Syria and had applied to leave the country. She had discussed this with the 16-year-old. While analyzing her cell phone, the investigators came across a second chat in which the attack plans were discussed. The young people have been in custody since Easter.
