In Graz, Austria, the police arrested a 14-year-old girl who allegedly planned a terrorist attack with a knife in the city center. Authorities reported that weapons and materials containing IS propaganda were seized from the minor’s residence. The teenager had prepared objects for the attack, including knives and an axe, and possessed jihadist propaganda materials. The police traced the girl through chat surveillance, with a lead from a European security agency and the Regional Office for State Security and Extremism Combat (LSE) in Styria.
The girl, originally from Montenegro, had readied weapons and clothing for the planned attack and shared images with potential like-minded individuals abroad through a messaging service. The intended target of the attack was described as „infidels“ by the police. During the house search, planned weapons and multiple data storage devices were confiscated. Initial examination of these devices revealed a collection of IS propaganda materials and numerous combat and execution videos amassed by the 14-year-old. Further analysis of the data storage is ongoing.
Despite being accompanied by a legal guardian and a defense attorney during questioning, the girl did not admit to the allegations. Following judicial approval, the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Graz ordered the girl’s arrest and transfer to a correctional facility due to the risk of carrying out the offense and obstructing justice. The police highlighted a concerning rise in radicalization, especially among young individuals susceptible to extremist propaganda in the digital realm. Austria’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner emphasized the authorities‘ commitment to countering all forms of extremism, underscoring that a potential extremist attack was thwarted in Graz.
