A 14-year-old boy arrested in eastern France on Tuesday on suspicion of preparing acts of violence has been charged today with criminal terrorist collaboration for the purpose of preparing attacks, the counter-terrorism prosecutor said.
The first elements of the investigation showed that the minor, placed under judicial supervision, “he had downloaded several propaganda videos of (extremist group) Islamic State and was in contact with sympathizers of this terrorist organization”said the attorney general.
He was also “in possession of many explosive products or substances that can be used in the composition of explosives,” the investigations found.
One of his lawyers, Pierre Lumbroso, said the boy had been placed in a care facility for minors, information that the Public Prosecution Service has not confirmed.
The lawyer denied any “intention to carry out an attack or the like” on the part of his client, insisting that he is “a young man passionate about explosives from an early age”, who “got carried away” after “bad advice on the ‘web’ to interact with people who are not recommended”.
The teenager was arrested Tuesday morning at his home in Rosenau (east) by investigators from the General Directorate of Internal Information (DGSI) as part of a preliminary investigation opened by the counter-terrorism prosecutor’s office.
Prosecution of minors for terrorist acts was rare before 2010, but “since 2015, more than 100 persons have been convicted by the juvenile court or by the specially constituted juvenile court for acts of terrorism,” according to the French public prosecutor’s office.
Source: DN
