Process - Christmas market attack planned: 15-year-old sentenced
Due to a planned terrorist attack on a Christmas market, the Cologne Regional Court sentenced a 15-year-old to a youth sentence of four years. The verdict was handed down due to conspiracy to commit murder and disturbing the peace by threatening crimes, as a court spokesperson announced following the non-public trial.
The Youth Chamber considered it proven that the defendant had radicalized himself since autumn 2023. Already a few weeks later, he had made a plan with a friend to carry out an Islamist-motivated attack on the Christmas market in Leverkusen-Opladen.
Planned attack with a truck
"Concretely, the plans called for the defendant to drive an rented truck over the Christmas market to kill as many visitors as possible, whom he considered infidels," the spokesperson said. The alleged accomplice from Brandenburg was supposed to film the act.
The Public Prosecutor's Office had initially assumed in their indictment that the defendant wanted to bring a truck filled with gas cylinders onto the Christmas market and explode it. The execution of the planned crime, however, had presented itself differently in the main hearing, the spokesperson said.
According to the judgment, the 15-year-old had also published a video in a chat group announcing an attack on "infidels." In the background of the clip was a recognition symbol of the so-called Islamic State (IS).
The young man from the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis had confessed extensively in the trial, the court spokesperson said.
"The defendant was to be sentenced according to the Youth Criminal Code. In the Youth Criminal Code, the educational aspect is in the foreground when selecting penalties," explained the spokesperson. "In particular, the sentencing was influenced by the fact that the defendant had fully confessed during the main hearing, he had no prior convictions, and he was still particularly young as a juvenile." The judgment is not yet legally binding.
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.
- The planned attack was intended to take place at the Christmas market in Leverkusen-Opladen, not in the original target of Cologne.
- The IS symbol was prominently displayed in a video the defendant posted, indicating his allegiance to extremist ideologies.
- The regional court in North Rhine-Westphalia, where the trial took place, is known for handling serious cases of crime and terrorism.
- The alleged accomplice, residing in Brandenburg, was expected to film the terrorist attack for propaganda purposes.
- The 15-year-old's juvenile sentence was handed down by the regional court in accordance with the German Youth Criminal Code, emphasizing rehabilitation and education.
- The regional court in Neuruppin will soon begin the trial of another individual for conspiracy to commit murder in connection with a potential terrorism case.
- Police and authorities in Germany remain vigilant in monitoring and addressing the threat of extremism and terrorism, particularly during the holiday season and high-profile events.
