Extremism - BKA: 18 Islamist attacks prevented since 2010
A total of 18 Islamist terrorist attacks have been prevented in Germany since 2010. This was announced by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) in Wiesbaden on Tuesday. "Since 2010, 18 cases within the BKA have been classified as Islamist-motivated attacks prevented by law enforcement authorities," the agency explained. The "Rheinische Post" had previously reported.
According to the BKA, a total of nine attacks were thwarted in North Rhine-Westphalia. These included a planned explosives attack and a planned firearms attack in 2011, a planned explosives and firearms attack on the chairman of the pro NRW party in 2013 and a planned explosives attack against Bundeswehr soldiers in 2016/2017. In 2018, a planned attack with ricin in Cologne and in 2019/2020 suspected preparations for attacks against an individual in particular were foiled. In 2021, a planned firearms attack in Duisburg or in the Cologne area and a planned explosives attack on a synagogue in Hagen were reportedly prevented, and in 2023 the planning of an attack on people in Germany using toxic substances such as ricin or cyanide.
In Hesse, according to the BKA, a planned explosives attack in the Frankfurt area against a Shiite mosque, police officers and a nightclub in 2018 and the planning of an explosives and firearms attack in the Offenbach and Frankfurt am Main area in 2019 were prevented. Two attacks were also prevented in Hamburg: the planning of an explosives and firearms attack in Hamburg in 2021 and the planning of a suicide attack using an explosive belt, presumably on a church in Sweden, in 2023.
Accordingly, one Islamist terrorist attack was thwarted in Saxony (2016: planned explosives attack in Chemnitz), Lower Saxony (2017: planned explosives attack against soldiers/police officers), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (2017: planned explosives attack in Schwerin), Schleswig-Holstein (2019: planned explosives attack in connection with a firearms attack and/or a vehicle attack) and Berlin (2019: planning of an explosives attack).
According to the BKA, the authority originally received significant information from abroad about seven of these thwarted attacks. In addition to the thwarted attacks, the federal and state security authorities also received a large number of tips about possible Islamist-motivated terrorist attack plans. The plans in these cases could have been prevented at an early stage thanks to measures taken by the authorities. They were therefore not included in the count of prevented attacks.
The BKA warns of a threat to the security situation in Germany as a result of the Middle East conflict. Particularly if the situation worsens, "individuals in Germany and Europe in particular could see the development as a subjective encouragement to carry out an attack," it said. The BKA is intensively monitoring and analyzing the current situation and the threat level and is coordinating with the federal and state security authorities in order to take appropriate precautions and prepare security measures.
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- The planned explosives attack in the Frankfurt area against a Shiite mosque, police officers, and a nightclub in 2018 was one of the Islamist-motivated attacks prevented in Hesse, as reported by the BKA.
- The foiled attack in Cologne in 2018 involved the use of ricin, a type of toxic substance commonly associated with acts of extremism.
- The BKA revealed that they prevented a planned firearms attack in Duisburg or the Cologne area in 2021, which could have escalated into a violent incident in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).
- The city of Hamburg was also targeted by Islamist extremists, with the planned explosives and firearms attack in Hamburg in 2021 and the suspected preparations for a suicide attack using an explosive belt in 2023 being thwarted by authorities.
- A potential terrorism attack in Hamburg was averted in 2023, with plans for a suicide attack using an explosive belt, presumed to be targeting a church in Sweden, being uncovered by German intelligence agencies.
- The BKA highlighted that Middle East conflicts posed a significant threat to Germany's security situation, as individuals may feel encouraged to carry out attacks due to the worsening situation in the region.
- In an effort to mitigate the risk of terrorism, the BKA closely monitors and analyzes the current situation in the Middle East and coordinates with federal and state security authorities to implement appropriate precautions and security measures.
Source: www.stern.de
