Albanian in Austria charged with convincing a 12-year-old to conduct terrorist attacks on Germany

The 18-year-old, known only as Lawrence K under Austria's privacy laws, is accused of giving the boy advice through the CHApp app how to produce a suicide bomb and direct the attempted attack, reports The Telegraph”.

The boy was arrested after the failure of the thorn bomb explosion in a German market weeks before the truck attack at a Christmas market in Berlin.

The indictment against Lorenz K is just one of several presented by prosecutors in a 55-page indictment, where he is accused of attempted murder, inciting murder and planning terrorist attacks, broadcast Koha.net.

The young man, born in Austria by immigrant parents from Albania, acknowledges that he belongs to the Islamic State (ISIS) but has denied all other charges.

When he was arrested, about a year ago, the Austrian Interior Minister described him as “pression” serious in the jihadist world. But this is the first time the charges against him become public.

It's also the first time he's been linked to the 12-year-old attempted suicide bomber, who became the world's main subject when he was arrested December 2016.

The 12-year-old, whose name is not disclosed on the basis of child protection laws, is born in Germany by Iraqi parents. He's being held after trying to commit a suicide bombing with a thorn bomb hidden in his backpack at a Christmas market in Loudigshafen City.

When the explosives failed to explode, he panicked and ran, hiding his bag in a bush. His arrest occurred weeks before a truck attacked a Christmas market in Berlin, where 12 people died.

According to the indictment against Laurence K, they've met Mr. Lorenz K. They have regularly communicated through whatsApps, and Lawrence K has influenced the child to jihadist violence, transmits Koha.net.

The boy had originally wanted to commit a suicide attack on a church, but Lawrence K told him to attack a larger mob.

He sent the boy details about the production of the bomb belt with a jar full of thorns, along with instructions: “Put a heavy jacket, go behind a stall, blow up and run”

But the boy couldn't hold his jacket on the bomb, so he decided to carry it in a backpack.

The 12-year-old cannot be held responsible for criminal acts according to German laws because of his age, and for that reason he is being held in a care facility.

Lorenz K is also accused of inciting a 16-year-old German to commit terrorist attacks.

He allegedly met the girl during a visit to Germany and had “married” it under Islamic law. Her father had gone to the police after finding Lawrence K's messages on her phone. She is not believed to have committed any violations.

Lawrence K is supposed to have travelled to Germany to meet a 21-year-old man in Nesus, near Dusseldorf, where he is accused of experimenting with thorn bombs and of planning attacks on the German Army and police targets.

The 21-year-old, whose name has not been disclosed, has been arrested and held in Germany, broadcasts Koha.net.

Wolfgang Blaschitz, Lawrence K's lawyer, has said his client denies the accusations against him. “We will deny everything except membership on ISIS”, he said. “He is not Public Enemy Number one”

The date is not yet set for trial, but is expected sometime in spring. If convicted on all charges, Lawrence K could be sentenced to 15 years in prison.