Suspect arrested in Lower Saxony over attack plans
Due to the situation in the Middle East, the threat of terrorism is also increasing in Germany. This is the view of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which is now taking swift and consistent action. After several arrests, a man in Lower Saxony has now also been "taken into preventive custody".
A man has been arrested in Lower Saxony on suspicion of planning an attack during the Christmas period. He had "announced that he obviously wanted to carry out attacks in connection with major events during the Christmas period", said Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Daniela Behrens on NDR. The suspect was therefore "taken into preventive custody". The German Association of Cities, meanwhile, assumes that there is an increased risk of terrorism in Germany and, according to its own statements, wants to protect Christmas markets in particular from attacks.
According to research by WDR and NDR, the detainee is a 20-year-old from Saxony-Anhalt who was arrested on November 21 in Helmstedt, Lower Saxony. "According to the investigators' findings, he is said to be an Islamist," reported NDR. Behrens went on to say that the man came from Iraq.
"Terror threat is also increasing here"
On Tuesday, two young people from North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg were arrested for preparing an attack. According to investigators, the two were planning a detonation at a Christmas market in Leverkusen.
On Wednesday, Thomas Haldenwang, President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, warned of the acute danger of Islamist attacks in Germany. The danger is real and higher than it has been for a long time," he said. "Due to the situation in the Middle East, the risk of terrorism is also increasing in our country," Helmut Dedy, Chief Executive of the Association of German Cities, told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). Protecting citizens "from attacks in public spaces" is "a key concern" for cities.
"People should feel comfortable and safe at Christmas markets in our cities. That is why the security measures are regularly revised," continued Dedy. However, protection against terrorist threats can "never be one hundred percent". "We cannot and do not want to turn city centers into fortresses," said Dedy. "Cities are places of coexistence and togetherness, that's what makes a city."
The increase in terrorism threats, including the danger of Islamist attacks, has led the Association of German Cities to heighten their security measures at Christmas markets. This is in response to the perceived rise in terrorism risks due to the current situation in the Middle East. Police and security services are on high alert, having recently arrested a suspect in Lower Saxony over plans for attacks during the Christmas period, who was found to have Islamist ties.
Source: www.ntv.de
