A Berlin court has sentenced a 16-year-old Syrian national to an 18-month suspended prison term for his involvement in a planned terrorist attack targeting a music event in Austria. The youth, identified only as Mohammad A in accordance with German privacy laws, was convicted of preparing acts of state-endangering violence and supporting foreign terrorist operations.
Court documents reveal the defendant had become radicalized through online extremist content and provided material support to another individual in Austria. This included sharing bomb-making instructions and facilitating contact with members of a designated terrorist organization.
The planned attack led to the cancellation of multiple concert dates in Vienna last summer after security agencies uncovered the plot. Austrian authorities subsequently arrested several suspects, including a 19-year-old who reportedly intended to carry out a suicide attack using explosives and bladed weapons.
During legal proceedings, the German defendant fully admitted his involvement. The court noted his young age—just 14 at the time of the offenses—as a significant factor in determining the suspended sentence.
The investigation involved cooperation between European and American intelligence services, highlighting continued concerns about youth radicalization across multiple extremist ideologies. Security officials have documented increasing numbers of young people being drawn toward violent extremism from various political and religious backgrounds.
The musical performer whose shows were targeted later expressed profound distress upon learning the circumstances behind the cancellations, noting the emotional impact on both the artist and disappointed ticket holders.
