The attack on Israel’s consulate general in Munich shows that the perpetrators are getting younger and younger. Experts explain why – and what can be done about it.
Munich – Everything about this attack is shocking, some things are surprising: The perpetrator, an Austrian with Bosnian roots, was just 18 years oldwhen he visited the Israeli Consulate General in Munich He had obviously become so radicalized that he was prepared to go to extremes. Despite his young age – or perhaps because of it?
Emra I. is certainly not an isolated case. Terrorism researcher Peter Neumann told BR that he has been observing incidents involving young perpetrators “with great concern for some time now.” In the last ten months, there have been 21 attempted and seven successful attacks in Europe. According to Neumann, around two-thirds of the terror suspects who were arrested were younger than 19.
Expert: Extremist groups offer young people what they are looking for
The new terror that is plaguing Europe also comes in a new guise: the perpetrators are radicalizing in silence, acting alone – and they are getting younger. Emra I., who is said to have had links to the militant Islamist militia “Haiat Tahrir al-Sham” and may have acted out of an Islamist motive, fits this pattern. But why do young people get caught up in the (Islamist) radicalization spiral?
In this specific case, Corona may have played a role. According to the Austrian Interior Ministry, Emra I. was previously a good student, but became increasingly withdrawn during the pandemic. His father perceived him as having psychological problems, it was said. In 2023, videos with Islamist and violent content were seized during a house search.
Basically, the motives that can lead to radicalization are very complex, says Joachim Langner, who works on the topic at the German Youth Institute. “Young people are looking for orientation, recognition, meaning, and want to provoke. Extremist groups can offer them all of that,” he says. In this respect, young people have always been vulnerable – but today they have more opportunities.
Radicalization through social media: Experts call for stronger prevention
Social media plays “a big role”. In the past, people would be approached at the Salafist book stand, but today the Internet is a place of endless communication. “For many people, it feels more personal to make contact there.” It is now well known that radicals of all stripes, including Islamists, are adept at using social media. According to Langner, the Gaza war may also play a role. “International conflicts have always been the starting point for radicalization,” he says. What is currently happening in the Middle East, he says, is “a new challenge in the radicalization of young peopl
e.”
So what can be done? Terrorism expert Neumann advocates that prevention measures and early warning systems should be “focused much more on very, very young attackers.” Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) also announced on Friday that he wants to review the existing prevention concepts – and is calling for direct consequences. Above all, comprehensive data retention in order to be able to identify the contacts of suspects more quickly after such crimes.
Neumann, meanwhile, complains of a “huge security gap” – and calls for the introduction of a European database of dangerous individuals. “We still have a situation where the security authorities are not working together seamlessly,” he says. “It should actually be a given that the Bavarian and German authorities know who the dangerous individuals in Austria are, who are banned from carrying weapons.” (Marcus Mäckler)
#Terrorist #plans #arise #childrens #rooms
