Three teenagers in Germany have been charged with plotting a terrorist attack. The trio, who have been in custody since April, are believed to have been planning an attack inspired by the goals and ideology of the Islamic State.
The suspects include a 15-year-old girl from Düsseldorf, another 15-year-old from Lippstadt, and a 16-year-old from Iserlohn. The court in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, has ruled that they will remain in custody while the investigation continues.
A fourth suspect, a 16-year-old from Ostfildern, is also involved but has been handed over to authorities in Stuttgart, as he’s from the state of Baden-Württemberg. This was reported by various German media outlets, including regional broadcaster WDR.
Prosecutors say the teenagers exchanged their plans for attacks through the messaging platform Telegram. They allegedly discussed targeting places like churches, courthouses, train stations, and police stations. While they were in the process of planning, investigators haven’t yet determined exactly when or where they intended to carry out an attack.
The plot came to light when Germany’s domestic security service started monitoring the girl from Iserlohn. Authorities had reason to believe she wanted to leave the country to join the Islamic State. She had been discussing her intentions with the 15-year-old from Düsseldorf.
The attack plans were uncovered during an investigation into the Iserlohn girl’s phone, although there were no concrete steps toward carrying out the attack at the time. During a house search in Düsseldorf, police found a machete and a dagger. It also emerged that the father of the 15-year-old girl from Düsseldorf was already on the authorities’ radar for being a “supporter of terrorists” due to his involvement in raising funds for the Islamic State.
