The war between Israel and Hamas has fueled an increased risk of attacks that might be carried out by radicalized Islamists inside Germany, the country’s domestic intelligence agency warned on Wednesday.
“We have been observing the declared intention of Islamists to carry out attacks in the West for some time now,” said Thomas Haldenwang, the president of Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. “However, a new dimension is now emerging.”
The agency has observed increased calls for attacks among actors in the “jihadist spectrum,” Haldenwang said, while Al-Qaeda and ISIS are attempting to “latch on” to the conflict in the Middle East in order to win new supporters.
The danger of attacks “is real and higher than it has been for a long time,” Haldenwang added.
Much of the threat comes from the potential for radicalized individuals to attempt attacks on “soft targets,” according to the agency.
That concern was apparently illustrated this week when two teenagers were taken into police custody on suspicion of planning an attack on a Christmas market or a synagogue in the city of Cologne, a German public broadcaster reported. In a video posted on social media, one of the suspects is said to have called for a “holy war” against the West.
“The flood of digital images in social media, often paired with fake news, contributes to emotionalization and can act as a radicalization factor,” Haldenwang said. “The situation is exacerbated by foreign state actors who seek to exploit or even reinforce this mood.”
The threat of “possible terrorist attacks against Jewish and Israeli individuals and institutions” has also increased significantly, according to the agency.
“We are working at full speed to thwart potential plots against the security of Jews, Israeli institutions and major events,” Haldenwang said.
