Organizer increases security at Christmas markets
Following the arrest of terror suspects, security precautions have been increased at some Christmas markets. As the organizer of the Christmas markets in Potsdam and Cottbus, the company Coex, announced on Friday, entrances to the event grounds will be blocked with security cars as a barrier. There will also be more security staff. "We will make some adjustments", Coex said about the security situation. "There will also be an increased police presence, with whom we are in constant contact," said the Christmas market organizer.
A spokesperson for the police headquarters in Potsdam said: "There are no indications or findings of a specific threat to Christmas markets in Brandenburg." The police are out and about at the markets with emergency services and are in contact with the operators. "We reassess the security situation on a daily basis."
In North Rhine-Westphalia and in Wittstock/Dosse in Brandenburg, two young people aged 15 and 16 were arrested on suspicion of terrorism. They were allegedly planning an attack on a Christmas market. Police in Lower Saxony are investigating a 20-year-old on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. Investigators have not ruled out the Christmas market in Hanover as a possible target. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) warned against attacks in view of the arrests and the war in Gaza.
In response to the arrests of individuals accused of terrorism in North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg, numerous municipalities, including Potsdam and Cottbus, have decided to implement fixed security measures at their Christmas markets. Coex, the organizer of these markets, has announced the deployment of additional security cars and personnel at entry points, aiming to enhance security.
Given the rise in extremist activities and the ongoing investigation of a suspected terrorist planning an attack in Lower Saxony, heightened vigilance against terrorism at Christmas markets has become a pressing concern for many municipalities across Germany.
Source: www.dpa.com
