Police officers confiscated items prepared for the crime as well as IS propaganda material from the girl. Seized chats got the investigation rolling, the police said in a broadcast on Saturday.
The 14-year-old has not confessed and refused to give a statement to the police. The Graz public prosecutor’s office ordered the 14-year-old to be arrested and taken to the Jakomini prison. The suspect has already been placed in pre-trial detention due to the risk of carrying out the crime and concealing the crime.
- also read: Trial against brutal youth gang in Vienna: “They wanted to make it into the media”
Weapons and clothing prepared
The investigators from the Styrian State Office for State Security and Combating Extremism (LSE) tracked down the girl thanks to a tip from a European security agency. A chat history was secured in which there was obviously talk of planning a terrorist attack at Jakominiplatz in Graz. The girl had already prepared weapons for this purpose – a hatchet and a knife – as well as special clothing. It sent pictures of these via messenger to apparently “like-minded people” abroad. The attack was intended to target “infidels.”
Based on her social media activities, the state security officers managed to track down the 14-year-old girl from Graz, who has Montenegrin roots. The officers seized the suspected murder weapons, the clothing mentioned in the chat and several data carriers. The data carriers contained IS propaganda material as well as numerous combat and execution videos.
“Clear trend towards radicalization”
According to the police, there is “a clear trend towards radicalization in and through the digital space”. Young people in particular are particularly vulnerable to this extremist propaganda. Radicalized people are often violent and ideologically inclined, particularly towards IS, but usually have no direct contact with terrorist organizations. According to current estimates, the high status of IS among young people is based primarily on the quantity and quality of the propaganda content available online – this would have a strong attraction for teenagers and young adults.
The incident reveals the failure of political decision-makers at the state and federal level in recent years, said FP state chief Mario Kunasek in a broadcast. What is needed is a decisive stance against supporters of radical Islam and the rapid introduction of a law banning political Islam in Austria.
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Source: Nachrichten
