Threat of years in prison

Terror plans: 14-year-old on trial on Tuesday

The girl is said to have planned a bloodbath at Jakominiplatz in Graz.

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian/Christian Jauschowetz)

Next Tuesday, the 14-year-old girl who sympathized with IS via social media and allegedly planned a knife attack in the middle of the provincial capital will have to answer for her actions in Graz Regional Criminal Court.

She is charged with the crimes of terrorist organization and criminal association - we have reported. The period of only eight days is extremely short, as the now 14-year-old was not previously of criminal age.

Wanted to go to war for IS
However, it was clear from the chat histories that the interest in the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) had been going on for some time. The teenager made contact with another girl and a previously unknown person in order to take part in IS combat operations together. She is said to have planned to kill "infidels" with a knife on Jakominiplatz in Graz.

Research into bomb-making
The accused is also said to have planned to travel to a combat zone and join IS. A chat was also found on her cell phone in which she talked to a stranger about building a bomb and received tips from him. She told her chat partner that a church was her first option for an attack, but possible targets could also be a police station or a supermarket.

The cell phone also contained a video in which the 14-year-old, clad in a niqab, pledges allegiance in Arabic to the IS leader Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. Photos of a child with an IS flag and a cat with the Prophet's seal, which stands for IS, were also on the device.

Long prison sentences even for minors
The maximum sentence for participation in a terrorist organization is ten years for adults, with an upper limit of five years for minors. Membership of a criminal organization is punishable by five years or half that for minors.