Officials in Germany say that a 12-year-old boy tried to launch two bomb attacks in South Germany over the past month, one at a Christmas market and another at the local town hall. The first attempted attack was on November 26 in Ludwigshafen where the boy left a backpack containing a homemade nail bomb in the middle of a popular Christmas market. The bomb failed to detonate leaving authorities to find the abandoned device intact.
A few days later, the preteen tried again, this time at the town hall near the shopping center. The second bag was found on December 5th when a pedestrian noticed a suspicious bag and alerted authorities. The detectives found a jar filled with powder and a wire, complete with nails taped around the outside. Specialists were able to diffuse the homemade IED without incident.
Security forces told Focus Magazine that the boy had been radicalized by an unidentified member of ISIS and had plans to join ISIS in Syria over the summer. ISIS is known to recruit children as fighters calling them the “next generation.”
Authorities say that the device contained “pyrotechnic material” that they believe came from fireworks and sparklers.
“Tests revealed that the mixture was combustible but not explosive,” a statement from the Rheinpfalz Police said. “There was no danger to the surrounding buildings.”
[revad2]
