14-year-old terror suspect sentenced in Austria

A 14-year-old teenager arrested in Austria in late 2014 on suspicion of planning to detonate explosives at the Westbanhof train station here and other charges was sentenced to two years' imprisonment on Tuesday.

The regional court in the city of St. Poelten tried the teenager, who is of Turkish origin, on charges of terrorist association and intent to commit a terrorist offense, with a full sentence of two years.

His confession to the charges is said to have contributed to a quick court process, local media reported.

The prosecution said the youth, who has lived in Austria for eight years, was living alone with his mother, who speaks little German, after his parents divorced. Despite being raised in the Alevi branch of Islam, he later identified with Sunni Islam, and became increasingly devout and in search of recognition, it added.

It was then that he came across propaganda from terrorist group ISIS on the internet, and planned to travel to Syria to take part in its activities, for which he sought contact with persons in Vienna.

When he became aware of the possibility of conducting such activity on Austrian soil, the youth sought plans on how to make a bomb on the internet. Authorities became aware of his radicalization through a report from his school, and arrested the youth in October 2014, later releasing him on strict conditions.

He then disappeared, only to be arrested in Vienna not long after, also allegedly having attempted to recruit a 12-year-old boy to join him in his activities.

Prosection attorney Michael Lindenbauer said the teenager showed neither guilt nor regret over his actions, and that his future had an "unfavorable prognosis."

The defense disagreed, saying they were "cautiously optimistic" of their clients' future, among other things given he was reformed, and acknowledged he succumbed to propaganda. Endit