Teen Convicted for Plotting Attack on German Christmas Market

A German court sentenced a 15-year-old boy to four years in prison for planning an extremist attack on a Christmas market. The boy, who became radicalized last fall, conspired with a 16-year-old acquaintance to carry out the attack. The proceedings were conducted behind closed doors.

A German court has sentenced a 15-year-old boy to four years in prison after he was found guilty of plotting an Islamic extremist attack on a Christmas market, according to reports from the Cologne state court.

The teenager, who was not named due to German privacy laws, was convicted of conspiracy to murder and disrupting the public peace by threatening crimes, as confirmed by the German news agency dpa. The case was conducted behind closed doors under juvenile law.

The boy was detained last November near Cologne after he became radicalized in the fall. He and a 16-year-old acquaintance planned to drive a truck into a Christmas market in Leverkusen, intending to cause mass casualties. According to the court's verdict, he posted a video announcing the attack in a chat group, featuring a symbol of the Islamic State group in the background. The 15-year-old admitted to the charges, while his alleged accomplice is set to go on trial on July 17 in Neuruppin.

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