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Austria foils railway station terror attack, arrests teen, 14, who may have supported Isis

Investigators found material that suggested the teen, an Austrian with Turkish roots, supported the Islamic State group

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The teen, 14, apparently had planned an attack at the Westbahnhof, a major railway station in Vienna. Photo: AFP

Austrian investigators have arrested a 14-year-old who was apparently planning an attack at a railway station in Vienna and found material that suggested he supported the Islamic State (Isis) group, authorities said Wednesday.

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The Interior Ministry said that the boy, an Austrian with Turkish roots, was arrested in the capital on February 10, the Austria Press Agency reported.

The arrest was triggered by tips to Austrian intelligence that a supporter of Isis had posted stories and videos with Islamic extremist content on several TikTok profiles.

The suspect had a knife in his pocket at the time of his arrest, the ministry said. During a search of his home, investigators found numerous Islamic extremist books as well as sketches of attacks with knives and machetes at a station and against police officers.

They also found handwritten instructions for making explosive material to serve as a detonator for a bomb.

Vienna’s Westbahnhof railway station. Photo: Reuters
Vienna’s Westbahnhof railway station. Photo: Reuters

Further material that apparently was meant to be used in making a bomb was found in the building’s basement, along with other knives. The suspect refused to testify in initial questioning.

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