A young man has been sentenced to a total of nine years in prison by the Regional Court in Brno in connection with an attempted arson attack on a synagogue in January 2024, as well as related violent and extremist offences. He also received an additional two-year sentence for supporting and promoting terrorism. The ruling is not final, as both the defence and the prosecution have reserved the right to appeal.
The court convicted him of attempted terrorist attack, attempted murder, and other crimes. Because some of the offences were committed while he was still a minor, the maximum sentence in the main case was ten years. The proceedings were held behind closed doors due to his age at the time, with only the verdict delivered publicly. The defendant remains in custody.
According to the prosecution, the attempted arson of the Brno synagogue was carried out together with another minor who is not criminally liable due to age. They allegedly attempted to set fire to the building using an improvised device. The case came to light during an investigation into a group spreading hateful content on social media and promoting terrorist organisations.
Prosecutor Petra Lastovecká described the ruling as justified and significant, arguing it sends a clear message that such conduct is unacceptable. She also noted that the case reflects a shift in juvenile offending, with increasing brutality and, in her view, little discernible motive beyond reckless intent.
The sentence also includes a separate incident from March 2024, in which the defendant and another minor allegedly attacked a socially marginalised man of slight build after first intoxicating him. The victim survived the assault. The defence disputes the classification of this act as attempted murder, arguing it should instead be considered bodily harm.
The court further found the defendant guilty of extortion, related to allegations that he threatened a witness to the assault in order to discourage reporting the crime. In addition, he received a two-year sentence for distributing illegal online content, including material promoting Islamist terrorist organisations and inciting antisemitism, which he committed after reaching adulthood.
