An 18-year-old man with Macedonian roots has been arrested in Austria on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks against “Western institutions.” The radicalized youth, reportedly born and raised in the Bruck-Mürzzuschlag district of Upper Styria, was apprehended on Sunday, July 20th, upon entering Austria, following a tip from a foreign intelligence agency.
According to the Austrian authorities, the suspect had been researching bomb-making and attack methods online and is believed to support a foreign Islamist terrorist organization. The Styrian State Office for State Security and Combating Extremism launched an investigation into his activities, and the Leoben Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered his immediate arrest. Although the suspect denied planning any attacks during questioning, a request for pre-trial detention has been submitted.
This is not the first time Austria has faced terrorism-related incidents involving radicalized youth. In Vienna, a 15-year-old is currently on trial for allegedly planning an ISIS-inspired attack at the city’s Westbahnhof station, after pledging allegiance to the terrorist group and researching weapons and explosives. In a separate case in Germany, a Syrian teenager is being prosecuted for his role in a planned bombing targeting a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, where he allegedly translated bomb-making instructions and supported the main suspect.
These cases highlight a disturbing pattern of extremist plots emerging across the region.
