How attacks are forcing Germany to examine civil freedoms
by Jenny Hill, BBC News:
Germany’s interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere, has recently unveiled a long list of anti-terror measures: thousands of new police officers, billions of euros for the security services, better cyber intelligence and faster deportation of foreign criminals.
This was, of course, in one sense about reassuring the German public. It is not the first time the government has announced anti-terror measures. But it is also the response to what are thought to have been the first terror attacks on German soil inspired by so-called Islamic State (IS).
Last month, in the town of Ansbach, a Syrian man wounded 15 people when he blew himself up at a music festival. A few days earlier, a teenager attacked passengers on a train with an axe.
But Germany has not experienced a major co-ordinated terror attack on the scale of those perpetrated on Paris or Brussels – yet. Security sources fear it may be a matter of time.
The deputy head of the Bavarian intelligence agency, Manfred Hauser, says “the risk is abstract but very high that we have hit squads and sleeper cells in Germany… We have clear signs that an IS command structure exists. There may be someone within it who is responsible for planning attacks in Germany.”
Mr Hauser says his agents are investigating a substantial number of reports that suggest IS has exploited the migrant crisis, sending in teams of people – the “hit squads” – disguised as refugees to prepare attacks.
IS is also believed to be targeting young asylum seekers whose experiences may have left them traumatised and vulnerable to radicalisation.
“One reason it’s hard to be certain is we don’t know exactly who’s come into the country as a refugee,” says Mr Hauser. “Many of the refugees weren’t registered. That makes it very difficult for the intelligence services to determine which dangerous individuals have come into the country.”
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