The 17-year-old enters the room in the high-security wing in a black hoodie, the hood pulled far over his head. When the cameras have disappeared, a mane of curly hair and a pale baby face appear behind a file folder. The high school student is said to have planned a right-wing terrorist attack on his classmates and teachers. Since Friday he has had to answer for this in Düsseldorf before the Higher Regional Court.

"The federal prosecutor assumes that the accused was determined to carry out a racially motivated attack on a high school he attended in Essen," said the representative of the federal prosecutor. The court excluded the public in the juvenile criminal proceedings on Friday immediately after the trial began at the request of the defense attorney.

Defense attorney Andreas Wieser previously confirmed that his client would make a confession. He was "wrongly turned mentally on the Internet". He regrets his actions and "needs professional help to get back on the right track".

Homemade pipe bombs in the children's room

According to the indictment, the attack was to be committed with home-made pipe bombs that were found in the children's room. An expert opinion found that they had a potentially lethal effect. The 17-year-old now faces up to five years in prison.

The young German arrested in Essen on May 12 is said to have planned the terrorist attack over a long period of time. The investigators assume that the then 16-year-old wanted to cause a "massacre" just one day later, on May 13, at Essen's Don-Bosco-Gymnasium - one day after a classmate pointed this out, he was arrested at his parents' home.

Younger had drafted "Manifesto".

Heavily armed special units came across racist, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim writings and 16 tubular bodies in Essen. The charges are: preparation of a serious act of violence that is dangerous to the state, terrorist financing and violations of the Weapons and Explosives Act.

In August, the Federal Court of Justice issued a decision in which it was unusually clear that the student had a "strong racist attitude", "massive willingness to use violence" and "harmful tendencies". The youth worked out the details of the planned "massacre" in a diary and a "manifesto". He wrote extensive instructions for imitators and recorded video messages.