2024-07-06 02:22:31
A teenager wants to run over and kill as many “unbelievers” as possible with a truck at a Christmas market. Now a court has sentenced him for conspiracy to commit murder.
The Cologne Regional Court has sentenced a 15-year-old to a youth prison sentence of four years for a planned terrorist attack on a Christmas market. The verdict was passed for conspiracy to commit murder and disturbing the public peace by threatening to commit criminal offenses, a court spokesman announced following the closed hearing.
The youth chamber considered it proven that the defendant had become radicalized since autumn 2023. After just a few weeks, he had arranged with an acquaintance to carry out an Islamist-motivated attack on the Christmas market in Leverkusen-Opladen.
“Specifically, the plans called for the defendant to drive through the Christmas market in a rented truck in order to kill as many visitors as possible, whom he considered to be unbelievers,” said the spokesman. The alleged accomplice, who comes from Brandenburg, was supposed to film the crime.
In its indictment, the public prosecutor’s office had originally assumed that the defendant wanted to explode a van filled with gas bottles at the Christmas market. However, the planned execution of the crime turned out to be different during the main hearing, said the spokesman.
According to the verdict, the 15-year-old had also published a video in a chat group in which he announced an attack on “unbelievers”. In the background of the clip, an identifying symbol of the so-called Islamic State (IS) could be seen.
The youth from the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis made a comprehensive confession during the trial, said the court spokesman.
“The defendant was sentenced under juvenile criminal law. Under juvenile criminal law, the focus is on the educational aspect when selecting sanctions,” explained the spokesman. “Specifically, the guiding factors for sentencing were that the defendant made a full confession during the main hearing, that he had no previous convictions and that he was still particularly young as a juvenile.” The verdict is not yet final.
The trial against the 16-year-old – also for conspiracy to commit murder – is scheduled to begin on July 17 at the Neuruppin Regional Court.