German intelligence chief explains why terror attacks on home soil is likely

Admin I Tuesday, June 11, 2024

BERLIN – The threat of Islamist terrorist attacks in Germany is currently significantly higher compared to previous years, partially due to the Gaza war, according to Germany’s domestic intelligence agency.

“The risk of jihadist attacks is higher than it has been for a long time,” the head of the domestic intelligence services, Thomas Haldenwang, told dpa.

Haldenwang stated that the risk of attacks has increased due to several factors. He highlighted the threat posed by radicalized individuals.

Additionally, he mentioned the influence of the Islamist Taliban takeover in Afghanistan as well as the strengthening of Islamic State offshoot Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The burning of the Koran in Scandinavia and Israel’s military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip were also cited by Haldenwang as contributing to the “radicalization spiral.”

“The situation in the Middle East following the terrorist attack by Hamas is certainly contributing to the heightened threat posed by Islamist terrorism,” Haldenwang said.

“Germany is more in the focus of jihadists than other European countries because, along with the US, our country is considered to be one of the most important supporters of Israel.”

In May, a 25-year-old Afghan man injured five people with a knife at a rally organized by the anti-Islam movement Pax Europa in the south-western German city of Mannheim. He also stabbed a police officer who later died from the injuries. Investigators suspect that the motive behind the attack may be linked to Islamist extremism.

“The security situation is very tense,” Haldenwang said, adding that his agency had never underestimated the threat of Islamist terrorism.

Haldenwang said Germany was currently facing three main challenges: the threat of Islamist terrorism, the rise of right-wing extremism contributing to social tension, and the influence and espionage activities of foreign states.

Additionally, there is the threat of increasingly violent left-wing extremism, he added.