On 16 December 2016, a bombing plot was uncovered in

Ludwigshafen Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning "Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ludwig's Port upon the Rhine"; Palatine German dialects, Palatine German: ''Ludwichshafe''), is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in the German state of Rh ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. The perpetrator, a 12-year-old boy of German-

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

i descent, was reportedly directed by an

ISIL The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signif ...

supporter to build two

nail bomb A nail bomb is an anti-personnel explosive device containing nails to increase its effectiveness at harming victims. The nails act as shrapnel, leading almost certainly to more injury in inhabited areas than the explosives alone would. A nail ...

s and plant them at the local

Christmas market A Christmas market is a street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during the four weeks of Advent. These markets originated in Germany, but are now held in many countries. Some in the U.S. have Phono-semantic matching, adapted ...

and near a shopping centre.

Incidents

After a first attempt failed at the Christmas market on 26 November when the bomb did not explode, the boy tried a second time on 5 December near the mall and the town hall of Ludwigshafen. He was reported to have been radicalised or instructed by an unidentified ISIS member. The German federal prosecutor declined to comment on the ISIS stories and announced an investigation into his motives. The device contained “pyrotechnic material” believed to have been extracted from fireworks and sparklers, and tests revealed that while the mix was combustible, it was not explosive.Isis directs 12-year-old boy to attempt bombing of German Christmas market
Independent.co.uk, 16 December 2016 The state youth welfare office took charge of the boy.

Suspect

The suspect was born in Ludwigshafen, but his name was not released because of German privacy laws. German law prohibits the criminal prosecution of individuals younger than 14 years. The suspect had contemplated traveling to

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

in mid-2016 to join the Islamic State.

Investigation and trial

On 13 April 2018, an

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

supporter was sentenced in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

to nine years in prison for instigating the crime and for planning another attack on the US airbase in Ramstein, Germany, along with a 15-year-old girl married to him under Islamic law. During the trial, the suspect of the Ludwigshafen bombing, now 14 years old, emphasized that the bombing was entirely his idea, stating that the bombing failed solely because the fuse cord was insufficient.Islamist muss neun Jahre in Haft
Frankfurter Allgemeine

Reactions

* Steffen Seibert, a spokesman for the German government, said: "This is certainly a report that scares everyone."Zwölfjähriger plante offenbar Anschlag in Ludwigshafen
Reuters.com, 16 December 2016, in German * Peter Altmaier, the German minister of the chancellery, said that the authorities were "sensitized". They had to investigate whether the child was radicalised at home or through the internet.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ludwigshafen attempted bombings, 2016 21st century in Rhineland-Palatinate Crime in Rhineland-Palatinate Failed terrorist attempts in Germany 2016 attempted bombings Islamist attack plots and attacks on Christmas markets

Incidents

Suspect

Investigation and trial

Reactions

See also

References