The threat assessment of Islamist terrorism for Germany remains high, but it has not changed since the attack on a concert hall near Moscow, the state security agency stated on Monday.
At the same time, the German government announced on Monday that Germany is well prepared for possible Islamist attacks, which includes protection during the European football championship that will soon be held in Germany.
But Germany, as announced, does not intend to raise the level of preparedness in the fight against terrorism as France did after the terrorist attack in Moscow, in which 137 people died, for which a branch of the terrorist organization Islamic State claimed responsibility.
For the German Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser (Social Democratic Party of Germany), a great danger comes from the branch of the Islamic State for the Afghan province of Korosan.
German security forces see the group, which is active mainly in Afghanistan, as a major threat to the country and Europe as a whole.
“Security measures are already tight, and the security concepts for the protection of the European football championship venues are being improved every day,” said a spokesman for the interior ministry in Berlin.
During the championship, among other things, intensified border control is being prepared.
Terrorism expert Peter Neumann told German public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk that Germany and Europe have faced an increased threat from terrorist attacks with an Islamist background since the start of the Gaza war.
“Several attacks have been prevented in the last few months alone,” Naumann said, pointing to arrests linked to planned attacks in Denmark and Germany, including the Cologne cathedral.
Since the start of the Gaza war, there have been eight attempted jihadist terror attacks in Europe, compared to just six such attempts in all of 2022, he said, citing figures from Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency.
