In Germany, an Islamist was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison for planning a terrorist attack

The Regional Court in Bremen has sentenced a 35-year-old man found guilty of planning a terrorist attack. He was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison. According to the investigation, the defendant was involved in planning a terrorist attack and maintained ties to Islamist circles. The court found the evidence gathered to be sufficient to issue a guilty verdict.

The judges charged the defendant with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to carry out an explosion, and financing terrorism. The court ruled that his mentally ill accomplice and nephew had limited capacity to control his actions. The 20-year-old man was acquitted but must be committed to a psychiatric hospital. The verdict is not yet legally binding.

The court was convinced that the two Germans had developed concrete plans for an attack last summer. They intended to kill as many people as possible using firearms. Once emergency services arrived, the younger man was to detonate a homemade explosive vest. They considered a hospital, a large public event, or a synagogue in Bremerhaven as possible targets.

The men planned to construct the explosive vest at the home of the 35-year-old defendant’s mother, the court noted in its ruling. The woman ordered three different materials for testing in her kitchen. Ultimately, law enforcement thwarted their plans. During another investigation, they stumbled upon chats between the men and arrested them.

The trial also examined the backgrounds of both defendants. According to reports, the 35-year-old man converted to Islam several years ago and became radicalized. When his nephew was 14 years old, he allegedly showed him videos of executions carried out by the so-called “Islamic State” for the first time. These recordings are said to have intensified the teenager’s obsessive thoughts and murderous fantasies.

The presiding judge is convinced that the 20-year-old defendant continues to pose a danger. Therefore, he ordered him to be placed in a psychiatric hospital. Otherwise, he might join the ranks of terrorists in search of social connections and recognition. His uncle, on the other hand, was found fully responsible for his actions and must serve eight and a half years in prison.