Austrian police have arrested a 14-year-old boy suspected of planning a terrorist attack at Vienna’s Westbahnhof train station. According to the Interior Ministry, authorities found knives and extremist materials in his possession, indicating his support for the Islamic State group.
The teenager, an Austrian citizen of Turkish descent, was taken into custody on Feb. 10, but authorities only announced his arrest now. The investigation began after officials detected a TikTok user spreading Islamist propaganda across multiple accounts.
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The Westbahnhof train station that was the target of the attack
(Photo: ZagAlex / Shutterstock)
Police identified the suspect and, during a raid on his home, discovered jihadist literature, a flag with an Islamic oath, and handwritten instructions for making explosives. They also seized several sharp objects, including a knife with a 16.5-centimeter (6.5-inch) blade and a 7-centimeter (2.7-inch) razor.
News of his arrest comes just days after a deadly terrorist attack in the Austrian town of Flach, where a Syrian extremist fatally stabbed a 14-year-old boy and wounded five others before sitting by the roadside and smiling for a photo. The attack was Austria’s deadliest since the 2020 Vienna shooting, which left four people dead.
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Authorities said the Flach attacker was rapidly radicalized through TikTok videos and had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State before the attack.
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The Syrian terrorist sits smiling after murdering a teenager and wounding five people in Flach
Just last week, Germany saw a similar Islamist-inspired attack when an Afghan asylum seeker, whose application had been rejected, drove a car into a labor protest in Munich, killing a woman and her 2-year-old daughter. He had a criminal record for drug and theft offenses, and officials later found signs of his radicalization.
The recent attacks in Austria and Germany come as far-right parties in both countries experience a surge in support, partly due to their hardline stance on Muslim immigration. Germany is set to hold nationwide elections next week, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is expected to make significant gains.