12-year-old boy allegedly part of Austrian terror case

A 12-year-old boy has been implicated in an Austrian terror case that saw a 17-year-old arrested on suspicion of planning to detonate a bomb in the national capital Vienna, the Krone newspaper reported on Monday.

Following investigations in the aftermath of the arrest of the 17-year-old on Friday, a house search in Vienna on Sunday led law enforcement personnel to the 12-year-old.

It is alleged the boy, of Macedonian origin, has connections to the Islamic State (IS), the report said.

Head of the Directorate General for Public Security Konrald Kogler said the younger suspect, who is said to come from a difficult background, was engaged in "intensive contact" with the arrested teenager.

Kogler said investigators are particularly concerned about the age of the boy, noting that at this part of life young people are particularly susceptible to being influenced.

He has not been arrested due to being under the age of criminal responsibility, though Kogler said the circumstances have been arranged such that he is "under control."

The 17-year-old suspect is presently being held at the Justizanstalt Josefstadt prison.

A further 21-year-old suspect was arrested in connection with the case in the German city of Neuss on Sunday. Endit