Constitutional protector on terror threat: Increased threat

Terrorism - Constitutional protector on terror threat: Increased threat

Brandenburg's head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Jörg Müller, sees a significantly increased threat from Islamists following the Hamas terror attack on Israel. He told the "Tagesspiegel" (Friday): "We have a very challenging situation due to the multiple crises we have experienced in recent years. At the same time, the situation has been exacerbated by the barbaric attack by Hamas. The danger is real and higher than it has been for a long time."

The constitutional protection officer said:"Brandenburg is not a state where we can speak of a widespread Islamist threat. We have the same threat situation in all federal states, because we don't know in the long term what individual actors are currently emotionalizing and how far they would go. That is the danger."

In the small town of Wittstock in the district of Ostprignitz-Ruppin, a 16-year-old teenager was arrested for allegedly planning a terrorist attack on a Christmas market via the internet together with a teenager from North Rhine-Westphalia. Both were remanded in custody.

The newspaper "Welt am Sonntag" reported that the Cottbus public prosecutor's office brought charges against the teenager from Wittstock in September. When asked, the judicial authorities merely stated that they were not commenting on the matter at present. The youth has reportedly been known to the police for some time. Cottbus is home to the public prosecutor's office specializing in combating computer and data network crime.

The two arrests are a typical case, said Brandenburg's head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Müller. "Two very young suspects who have become radicalized and are probably not yet as ideologically stable as other Islamist actors. It is a great challenge for us to filter out these cases." Brandenburg is not the primary area of action for these threats, but the following applies: "We as Brandenburgers are not free from this danger either."

There are Islamists in all districts, and slightly more in larger cities such as Potsdam and Cottbus. "The total Islamist potential in Brandenburg amounts to 210 people, 80 of whom belong to the so-called Islamist North Caucasian scene, including Chechens. Russian citizens who attract attention as Islamists." This scene can be found in Neuruppin, Prenzlau and Königs Wusterhausen, among other places.

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1. Jörg Müller, the head of Brandenburg's Office for the Protection of the Constitution, has identified a significantly increased threat from Islamists, particularly following the Hamas terror attack on Israel.
2. The 'danger' from Islamist extremism, as highlighted by Müller, is not limited to Brandenburg, but is a threat situation experienced in all federal states.
3. In the small town of Wittstock, a 16-year-old teenager was arrested for allegedly planning a terrorist attack on a Christmas market via the internet with a teenager from North Rhine-Westphalia.
4. The Cottbus public prosecutor's office brought charges against the teenager from Wittstock in September, according to a report in the "Welt am Sonntag".
5. The threats posed by Islamist extremism are not unique to Brandenburg, as Müller pointed out, and there are Islamists in all districts, with slightly more in larger cities such as Potsdam and Cottbus.
6. The total Islamist potential in Brandenburg is estimated to be around 210 people, with 80 of them belonging to the so-called Islamist North Caucasian scene, including Chechens.
7. The threat of terrorism and terror attacks is a global concern, with incidents such as the Hamas attack on Israel and the arrest of the teenager in Wittstock serving as stark reminders of the ongoing 'threat situation' and the need for vigilance.

Source: www.stern.de