Within a few weeks, an alarm of terror is sounded twice at German railway stations. Under suspicion: teenagers who sympathise with the terrorist militia IS. About two puzzling cases that pose a fundamental problem for the authorities.
On Friday, January 14, a young man was caught in a police checkpoint at Freiburg railway station. The Italian, 17 years old, had been reported for a residence enquiry in Germany and was armed with a weapon, as the officers discovered on the spot.
Even more alarming for them was that, according to the WELT newspaper, the teenager claimed to be a supporter of the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS). When he was arrested, he told them he wanted to kill as many people as possible.
Only two weeks later, on January 29, a terror alarm was sounded at the railway station in Hanover. Again, a 17-year-old youth was under suspicion, and again there was information about Islamist links.
Both cases are examples of a group of people who have repeatedly caused problems for the security authorities in recent months.