Minister after foiling Islamist attacks: Don’t be afraid of Christmas markets. Dozens of police officers are guarding them in Berlin

2023-12-07 15:42:00

At a meeting of state interior ministers, Berlin’s senator for the interior, Iris Spranger, urged the public not to be afraid to visit the Christmas markets, as the events are well guarded by the police. In recent days, Germany has detained three extremists who, according to the police, were preparing terrorist attacks on Christmas. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that Germany will not tolerate Islamic radicals and will continue to crack down on them, including on the Internet.

“Absolute security does not exist, everyone knows that. But our police do a great job, so don’t be afraid to visit the Christmas markets,” řekla Sprangerová, whose function corresponds to the provincial minister of the interior.

German police recently arrested two youths who planned to detonate a van at a Christmas market in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Only a short time later, a young man in Lower Saxony, who, according to the police, also wanted to commit a terrorist attack during Advent, ended up in custody.

Faeser said that the current more complicated security situation is related to the war in the Gaza Strip. “This was triggered by a terrorist attack by (Palestinian radical movement) Hamas against Israel, which also affects our internal security,” she said.

She noted that since October 7, when Hamas surprisingly attacked Israel, 4,300 crimes related to Middle Eastern events have occurred in Germany. Most of the crimes involved damage to property and provocations, but the police also recorded 470 acts of violence. She said 130 police officers were injured during that time. “This is something we will not tolerate,” she said.

According to Faeser, Germany will continue to act harshly against Islamic radicals and consistently deport Islamists without German citizenship. She also said that the police repeatedly intervened against radical Islamic propaganda on the Internet. “Police have closed over 200 channels on the Telegram social network,” she added.