Process against 15-year-olds: IS attack on Wiener Westbahnhof planned!

Process against 15-year-olds: IS attack on Wiener Westbahnhof planned!

Wien, Österreich - On Monday, July 17, 2025, a remarkable trial against a 15-year-old suspected supporter of the "Islamic State" (IS) begins at the Vienna Regional Court. The young person is suspected of having prepared a terrorist attack against the Vienna Westbahnhof. According to Exxpress.at he assured an IS contact person to implement the attack in summer 2025. Due to the serious threat, the accused has been in custody since mid -February.

The allegations are serious. The adolescent is said to have actively collected and spread propaganda material from IS since August 2024. From autumn 2024 he was increasingly interested in the production of explosives and saved corresponding blueprints on data carriers. In online platforms, especially via Telegram, he searched for tutorial videos for the production of explosive fabrics. In addition, after the turn of the year, he was in contact with Messenger apps with an IS connection man.

preparations for an attack

Between February 5 and 7, 2025, the young person swore an oath on the IS and planned an attack in Vienna, which was specifically directed against "unbelievers and police officers". He wanted to carry out a hostage -taking and met preparatory acts from January 24th to February 9th to February 9th that indicate a crime with explosives. Aluminum pipes and table legs were found in its basement compartment, which were apparently intended to make a pipe bomb.

The investigation was initiated by a reference from the German Federal Criminal Police Office, which discovered a Tikok profile that propagated radical Islamist content. During a subsequent house search, the authorities found several knives, IS propaganda material and drawings that outlined plans for an attack at the Westbahnhof. These drawings showed, among other things, trains and tracks as well as barmishes, one of which stuck to others with a knife, which were referred to as "Kuffar".

factors of radicalization

The background for the radicalization of young people like this 15-year-old are often complex. According to bpb.de , the social environment also plays a decisive role in addition to individual factors. Young people often look for meaning and orientation in a complex world, which makes them vulnerable to extremist ideologies. Extremist actors use these uncertainties to recruit offspring.

research on radicalization shows that not every young person with radical views is automatically extremist. It is important that specialists carefully analyze suspicions so as not to stigmatize the youngsters, such as the German Youth Institute (dji) . Programs for radicalization prevention and democratic promotion are therefore of central importance in Germany to protect endangered young people and to prevent their belonging to extremist groups.

This case illustrates the challenges of current society in dealing with youth crime and extremism. The process is pursued with tension because it not only illuminates the individual background of the accused, but also appeals to the structural problems of radicalization and prevention in society.