Eat
Attack plan on school: suspended sentence for 17-year-olds
The Don Bosco High School in Essen-Borbeck. photo
© Roberto Pfeil/dpa
A 17-year-old with a right-wing extremist view of the world has been sentenced to two years on probation. He wanted to attack his high school in Essen.
A 17-year-old student has been sentenced to two years of probation for the planned right-wing extremist terrorist attack at a high school in Essen. This was announced by the Higher Regional Court in Düsseldorf on Friday. The trial of the high school student took place behind closed doors.
The court found him guilty of preparing a serious act of violence that endangered the state – in connection with violations of the weapons law. The student had planned a right-wing extremist-motivated attack and wanted to kill teachers and students.
The high school student was released from custody on Friday, but was ordered by the court to immediately seek inpatient treatment in a youth psychiatric ward. He then has to move into assisted living in a youth welfare facility and take part in a deradicalisation programme.
Weapons and material for bombs found
The court found the main allegations of the prosecution confirmed. The youngster procured the components for the construction of potentially deadly bombs and built two working firearms. Knives, machetes, brass knuckles, crossbows, air pressure and alarm guns were also found on him.
The teenager had confessed, showed remorse and distanced himself from his crime. Since he was motivated to break away from his racist and anti-Semitic worldview, the sentence was comparatively mild and suspended, the court explained.
The federal prosecutor’s office had requested three years imprisonment without parole. A representative of the authority stated at the beginning of the trial that the accused had been determined to commit the racially motivated attack. Defense attorney Andreas Wieser said at the beginning of the trial that his client had “mentally taken the wrong turn on the Internet”. “He needs professional help to get back on track.”
Special forces stormed children’s rooms
The high school student arrested on May 12 at his parents’ house in Essen after a tip from a classmate is said to have planned the terrorist attack over a long period of time. The investigators assumed that the then 16-year-old German committed the attack just one day later, on May 13, at Essen’s Don Bosco High School and wanted to cause a bloodbath.
Heavily armed special units came across 16 tubular bodies in the accused’s children’s room in Essen, some prepared with clocks and nails. They also discovered racist, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim writing. The high school and the former high school of the accused were temporarily closed after the terror plans became known and were thoroughly searched with explosives detection dogs. The process had started two months ago. The verdict is not yet legally binding.