Risk of terror attacks in Germany heightens amid Euro 2024 fears

German counter-intelligence chief warns of a severe threat. He points to a regional offshoot of the Islamic State. This terrorist group is reported to have transported its people to the West under the guise of "refugees from Ukraine".

The security situation in Germany is seriously threatened by extremists, according to the latest report from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV). The danger primarily comes from Islamists and right-wing extremists.

As reported by RMF FM, Thomas Haldenwang, head of German counter-intelligence, conveyed that "a possible scenario is coordinated large-scale terrorist attacks, like the one in Moscow". The ISIS-K group, the regional offshoot of the Islamic State of Khorasan Province, not only threatens to target objects in Europe but, according to Haldenwang, has also managed to transport its people to the West under the guise of "refugees from Ukraine".

He warned in an interview with the "Financial Times" that they might be preparing an operation in Germany for Euro 2024.

BfV head Thomas Haldenwang, quoted by the RND portal, said on Tuesday in Berlin that the Office for the Protection of the Constitution "does not have many positive pieces of information about the security situation in Germany" for the year 2023.

Interior minister Nancy Faeser emphasized that our democracy is strong but also under considerable pressure. In her opinion, democracy and the rule of law are massively attacked both from within and outside.

This year, the BfV dedicated a particular chapter to the conflict in the Middle East and the anti-Semitism it fuels, notes RND. Since the attack on Israel by the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas on October 7, 2023, the number of anti-Semitic crimes in Germany has significantly increased. While German security authorities registered 208 anti-Semitic crimes in October 2022, this number rose to 1,342 in October 2023.

The already high potential threat from Islamic terrorism has increased even more as a result of the Hamas attack and the war in the Gaza Strip, said Haldenwang. According to the report, the threat comes from both individual jihadist fighters and groups, the portal writes.

The most dangerous group at present is the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (IS-K), an offshoot of IS that is particularly active in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries. In March, the group attacked Moscow, killing more than 140 people. Haldenwang is convinced, however, that plans of severe attacks can be discovered and thwarted by European security authorities at an early stage. Repeat severe attacks are, therefore, "a possible, but not very likely scenario," he assessed.

According to the report, the number of crimes committed by right-wing extremists increased by more than 22 percent to 25,660 in 2023. The number of violent crimes increased by 13 percent to 1,148, with the vast majority involving bodily harm. There were also four attempted murders, Haldenwang said. The number of demonstrations by right-wing extremists increased by 153 percent to 307 in 2023.

The report indicates that the potential of left-wing extremists has slightly increased to 37,000 people in 2023, of which the National Intelligence Service classifies 11,200 as violence-oriented. The potential threat from aggressive left-wing extremists remains high, Haldenwang said. This is confirmed by a 10.4 percent increase in crimes to 4,248. The number of acts of violence increased by 20.8 percent to 727.