The Belgian police have arrested a 14-year-old Muslim who was carrying a backpack filled with explosives, the largest newspaper in the Netherlands, De Telegraaf, reports. The boy was part of a gang that hangs around a local construction site near a train station. When police officers saw smoke coming from the site, they decided to investigate the matter.
The boy was interrogated and his backpack was opened. What the officers found shocked them tremendously: it was filled with explosives.
In case you’re wondering whether he’s a radical Christian, a fundamentalist atheist, or an extremist Buddhist, there was also a bottle in the bag with “Allahu Akhbar” written on it.
After finding the explosives, the police also investigated the boy’s computer. What they found was extremely troubling. His search history showed he had tried to figure out how to make a homemade bomb.
The boy’s defense? He tried to convince the authorities of his innocence by explaining that he had done those things because he is “a fan of video games and chemistry.”
I kid you not.
Although the Belgian government isn’t exactly famous for cracking down on terrorism (and radical Muslims in general), even they understand that the boy is a terrorist attack waiting to happen. That’s why he’s still being held. For the safety of all Belgians, we can only hope that his detention will result in an official arrest and, after that, a conviction on terror-related charges. After all, what’s learned in the cradle is carried to the tomb. If he’s this extreme and violent as a 14-year-old, he’ll be even more dangerous as an adult.
Sadly, the most troubling part of the story is this: If they do indeed end up prosecuting him, I’m sure he’ll get off with a light sentence due to his age. That would be a tragic mistake. I don’t care how old a terrorist is, wannabe mass murderers like that need to spend the rest of their lives in jail.
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