Czech court hands 7-year prison term to man over attempted synagogue arson attack

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PRAGUE (AP) — A court in the second largest Czech city of Brno sentenced a man to seven years in prison on Tuesday over an attempted terror attack and attempted murder.

The defendant was one of two teenagers under 18 who tried to set a synagogue in Brno on fire in January 2024 by using an improvised device. They also tried to kill a person, who survived the attack.

The convicted man, who is now 20, was also handed a two-year prison term for promoting terrorism, which he committed over the age of 18.

His accomplice was under the eligible age to stand trial in court, for a hearing that was held behind closed doors.

The pair were part of a group of five teenagers who were arrested last year after allegedly being radicalized online by the militant Islamic State group, according to Czech authorities.

The five were promoting hate content on social media against minorities, LGBTQ+ community and Jews, officials said. During raids in Czechia and Austria, police seized some weapons, such as knives, machetes, axes and gas pistols.

The teens were also said to have been involved in online groups recruiting fighters for IS militants in Syria and shared a fascination with violence and hatred against Jews, LGBTQ+ people and others, officials said.

The investigation involved the Czech authorities and counterparts in Austria, Britain, and Slovakia as well as the European Union’s law enforcement agency Europol.