A court in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia has charged three teenagers with allegedly planning deadly terrorist attack, DPA reported, referring to a statement by the spokeswoman of the district court in Dusseldorf, quoted by BTA.
The suspects, who were aged 15 and 16 at the time of their arrest, were detained in April during the Easter holidays. Not long ago, the court ordered that they remain in custody.
They are suspected of having prepared a terrorist attack "in accordance with the goals and ideology of the extremist terrorist group "Islamic State". According to the prosecution, the three teenagers – two girls and one boy – have exchanged plans for terrorist attacks through the "Telegram" and have discussed attacks on churches, courtrooms, railway stations or police stations.
The suspects are believed to have responded to the charges, but it is unclear whether they have denied or accepted them. No date has yet been set for the trial to begin.
Proceedings against a fourth suspect in the state of Baden-Württemberg have been separated and handed over to the public prosecutor's office in Stuttgart. According to the investigation, one of the prosecutors stated that the person in question, a 16-year-old girl, is believed to have consented to commit a crime and was preparing a "serious act of violence that would endanger the state".
Police first drew attention to the 16-year-old girl from Iserlohn, North Rhine-Westphalia, after authorities received information that she was planning to leave the country to join the "Islamic State" and fight for the terrorist group. She is said to have discussed her intentions with one of the Dusseldorf girls. During the analysis of her mobile phone, investigators found a second chat in which plans for an attack were discussed.
Although the reports did not specify a specific day and time or place of the attack, one of the girls was collecting information for police stations in Dortmund, DPA noted.