Germany’s domestic intelligence chief, Thomas Haldenwang, today warned of an overall rise in extremist threats in the country following Russia’s war against Ukraine and the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel.
At a press conference in Berlin dedicated to the presentation of the annual report of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Haldenwang said that the document reflects a wide range of activities of the Russian intelligence services against Germany.
He also mentioned that the attack by the Palestinian extremist group Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, sparked a new conflict outside Germany with direct consequences for internal security.
According to Haldenwang, the potential threat posed by Islamic terrorism has increased in Germany, and the conflict in the Middle East is a catalyst for anti-Semitism in the country.
“The risk of jihadist attacks has increased since the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel,” Haldenwang said, according to Spanish news agency EFE.
Haldenwang warned that Germany is the focus of attention, especially from groups such as the Islamic State of Khorasan.
He also said radical people with no recognized links to terrorist organizations “pose a serious threat.”
According to the BfV report for 2023, the number of potential Islamic terrorists remained at 27,200, almost the same level as 27,480 in 2022.
The potential number of right-wing extremists continued to rise to 40,600 in 2023, up from 38,800 in 2022, as did the number of people willing to use violence, from 14,000 to 14,500.
The network activities of the so-called new right continue to grow, and the importance of these actors for the internal structure of the far-right scene is increasing, Haldenwang said.
He also said threats posed by violent left-wing extremists remained high, citing attacks on political opponents, significant violence against police and the burning of businesses and critical infrastructure.
Attempts to influence the protest movement against climate change by left-wing extremism continued in 2023 with the goal of radicalizing forms of action up to sabotage of infrastructures.
“We must vigorously defend our democracy because our democracy is strong, but it is also under great pressure,” Interior Secretary Nancy Feiser said during the report’s presentation.
Feser said Germany must “meet internal threats of extremism with the same resolve as external threats, especially from the Russian regime and its formidable hybrid threat.”
“The threat that espionage, sabotage, disinformation and cyber-attacks pose to our democracy has unfortunately reached a new dimension,” the minister added.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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