Austrian Police and the Constitutional Protection Bureau claim to have prevented a terrorist attack in Vienna. The suspect, a 14-year-old Austrian with Turkish roots, was arrested on February 10, according to the Interior Ministry’s statement on Wednesday.
The teenager allegedly radicalized online and planned an attack on the Westbahnhof. When he was apprehended, he had a knife with a saw and a five-centimeter long blade in his pocket.
During the house search ordered by the Vienna State Prosecutor’s Office, the investigators reportedly found numerous Islamist books. The constitutional protection officers also seized various hand-drawn sketches, showing attacks with knives and machetes on a train station and on police officers. In addition, drawings of Islamist soldiers with the IS flag were found. There was also a handwritten manual for the production of explosive material, which was intended to be used as a detonator for a homemade bomb.
During the search of the basement room, the investigators allegedly found aluminum pipes or table legs, as well as a panzer tape in a hidden compartment. These materials were apparently intended for bomb-making. Additionally, a combat knife with a 16.5-centimeter long blade, another folding knife with a seven-centimeter long blade and a flag with the Islamic creed were found and secured. During the interrogation, the 14-year-old allegedly refused to make a statement.