Austrian police, in cooperation with the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, have prevented a terrorist attack that a 14-year-old teenager was planning to carry out at Vienna’s Westbahnhof railway station.
According to the APA news agency, the teenager was arrested on February 10. During a search, authorities found several knives and propaganda materials confirming his allegiance to the terrorist group “Islamic State.”
The arrest took place in the Vienna-Währing district under an order from the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the teenager, an Austrian citizen of Turkish origin, is suspected of being a member of a terrorist organization or a criminal group.
The investigation began after the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence (DSN) identified an unknown supporter of Islamist ideology who had been sharing extremist content on multiple TikTok profiles. The nature of these posts indicated his affiliation with ISIS.
Upon his arrest, the teenager was found carrying a knife with a saw and a five-centimeter blade in his pocket. A search of his home uncovered Islamist books, hand-drawn attack plans involving knives and machetes, and handwritten instructions for making explosives.
According to investigators, the teenager had specifically targeted Westbahnhof, as evidenced by his sketches. However, the exact date of the planned attack remains unknown, as do any possible connections he may have had with organized jihadist groups.
During his initial interrogation, the suspect refused to give testimony. The investigation is ongoing, stated Austria’s Minister of the Interior, Gerhard Karner.
