One of the Muslim terrorists who bombed a Sikh temple in Germany was enrolled in an anti-radicalisation “Salafist prevention” program.
Police in Germany have recently released more information regarding the two teenage terrorists who carried out a bomb attack on a Sikh temple in Essen. The two 16-year old’s Mohammed B. from Essen and Yussuf T. from Gelsenkirchen who are said to be supporters of the Islamic state.
The pair carried out the bombing to wage jihad even though one of them was enrolled in an anti-radicalisation program, Die Welt reports.
Yussuf T. was part of a government project called “Wegweiser” which was set up by the North Rhine-Westphalia government to combat extremism. The website for the projects says it works by, ” preventing entry to the violent Salafism and aims to focus on young people who are going to radicalise.”
They say the program takes a “holistic approach” and offers consultation services for young Muslims and those in their social circles.
Yussuf was sent into the program after staff at his school had noticed what they considered worrying behaviour. The young ISIS supporter expressed his admiration of the Islamic state to fellow classmates and teachers.
The teenager even went as so far as praising the November Paris terror attack. Yussuf had a streak of anti-Semitism that is all too common among radicalised Muslims, and is said to have threatened a Jewish class mate saying he would “break her neck.”
Yussuf took his final session with the group only four days before he and his partner bombed the Sikh temple. He attended the group with his parents and it is suspected that he had intended to flee to Syria just like a growing number of European children, had he not been caught and arrested by German police first.
In spite of set backs to the program the Northwest Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Ralf Jäger has said he still supports funding the program. The program currently works with 160 young Muslims and has had requests from a further 4,600. The minister has said this proves there is a need to expand the program to meet the demand.
Yussuf’s partner Mohammed also showed signs of radicalisation before the attack. He used the name “kuffarkiller”when he made posts on the internet and was known to police as he had been arrested for causing bodily harm when he assaulted an unidentified victim.
Mohammed was detained the day before the bombing because he was involved in a break-in.
The bombing they carried out was meant to take place during a Sikh wedding but the pair were unable to sneak the bomb in. Had the bomb gone off authorities say there would have been a high chance of deaths and injuries. The police have also said they doubt any formal links exist between the teens and the Islamic State.
The Islamic state has had no problem recruiting children as suicide bombers in the past however, with many children dying of so called “martyrdoms” in Iraq and Syria.