A 15-year-old supporter of the terrorist group “Islamic State” (IS) was sentenced to two years of partially suspended imprisonment on Monday at the Vienna Regional Court. The teenager had planned a terror attack in Vienna, with the Westbahnhof train station as the primary target. He had assured an IS contact that he would carry out the attack in summer 2025. The trial was held under tight security measures.
Of the two-year sentence, eight months must be served unconditionally. The remaining 16 months were suspended with a probation period of three years. This means the teenager will remain in prison until early October, taking pre-trial detention into account, unless he is released early. Whether this will happen will be decided by the court.
Employment as part of probation
The court also ordered the teenager to find employment upon release. “If you’re tired from work in the evening, you have less time for nonsense,” the presiding judge said. Probationary support was also mandated.
Verdict not final
The charges included preparation of a terrorist offense, membership in a terrorist organization, attempted training for terrorist purposes, instructions for committing a terrorist offense, and involvement in a criminal organization. The verdict is not yet final. The defendant accepted the decision after consultation with his lawyer and parents. The prosecutor gave no immediate response.
The boy was fully confessing to the charges. “I always take responsibility for my mistakes,” said the slim 15-year-old with shoulder-length black hair, wearing a light blue shirt. He was brought into the courtroom by heavily armed officers to avoid media attention.
Prosecutor: “Very high willingness to commit violence”
The prosecutor described the teenager as having a “very, very high willingness to commit violence” and said he “wanted to cause a bloodbath.” Though very young and small, the IS deliberately targets individuals like him in Europe to carry out attacks.
Defense lawyer Anna Mair countered that her client “is not a monster” but had felt misunderstood, been bullied in school for his faith, and found a sense of belonging online. IS members he met on the internet gave him “support, knowledge, and friendship” and manipulated him.
Radicalization through TikTok and propaganda
The boy, whose parents are not devout Muslims, became radicalized in summer 2024 via TikTok. He listened to radical sermons, including those by German Salafist Pierre Vogel, and consumed large amounts of IS propaganda, which he also shared with others.
Following bullying at school—including being locked in a toilet and mocked for praying—the boy tried to order a firearm online in November 2024. The gun was thankfully never delivered. He then considered killing a police officer to steal their weapon, possessing several knives at home including a machete, hunting knives, and a pocketknife.
His initial plan was to stab a police officer and use the stolen weapon to shoot “unbelievers.” He even drew sketches of where the attack could occur, naming a specific police station in his neighborhood.
Westbahnhof becomes the target
In January 2025, after making contact with an IS member in a chat, the plan shifted to Westbahnhof. The boy pledged allegiance to IS and promised to carry out an attack with explosives or weapons that summer.
In his bedroom, police found drawings of the U6 train station at Westbahnhof showing a figure attacking others with a knife or machete. The victims were labeled “kuffar” (unbelievers). He also considered taking hostages and had purchased handcuffs. Materials for making a pipe bomb were found in the basement.
Teenager expresses remorse
“It was a very big mistake,” the boy told the court. When asked if he was ready to die for his plan, he said, “I didn’t have the courage. I’m glad I didn’t do it.”
A chat partner had advised him to strike “where there are lots of people—hospital, train station, concert, nightclub.” He had thought about both knives and guns “since I was little,” he said.
He admired the attacker from the 2020 Vienna attack who killed four people. “I wanted to go to paradise,” he said. “But God gave me prison instead, so I can improve myself.”
Lawyer welcomes his arrest
The boy was arrested on February 10 after international investigations. His lawyer welcomed the arrest, saying it helped him get out of the spiral of hatred and radicalization. He hadn’t intended to act immediately but had planned the attack for summer.
Juvenile reports showed he had 4–5 close friends, all linked to IS. One of them, a 19-year-old, is already in prison for terrorist activities. His hobbies included riding an e-scooter and reading Islamic texts. He described religion as “a resource.”
He believed in defending his religion and said, “If I can’t defend with words, I defend with my heart.” He assaulted a fellow inmate in May who had called him a terrorist. He claimed to have been offended by a teacher who called the Prophet Muhammad illiterate but said jihad also means controlling one’s anger.
The court included the assault in its judgment as bodily harm, but acquitted him in doubt of a separate alleged threat against the teacher.
