Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Leipzig Police Link 150 Crimes to Children as Minister Seeks Closed Placements

Saxony’s justice minister calls for state capacity to confine dangerous under‑14 repeat offenders within youth welfare.

Overview

  • A dedicated police group formed in October is handling about 150 procedures tied to robberies, thefts and assaults across Leipzig.
  • Police say the suspects are largely under 14, with a hard core of about nine boys in a shifting group of roughly 14 participants.
  • Local reporting names 11-year-old twin brothers as alleged ringleaders, while investigators note the network now operates citywide.
  • A 15-year-old linked to the group was arrested on December 10 and remains in pretrial detention on robbery, theft and property-damage allegations.
  • Authorities identified boys aged 10 and 11 after a January 7 attack on a kosher café in Plagwitz, and Saxony currently has no authorized facilities for closed placements that police view as a last resort.