Terror risk

German security officials, meeting in Berlin on Thursday, told the country's leaders that there was a growing threat of terrorist attacks.

Under-Secretary for the Interior August Hanning said intelligence officers had observed an increase in traffic of Internet video messages, more travel by known Islamists to and from Pakistan, as well as a number of warnings.

"We take this seriously," Hanning said after the meeting. "We will do everything to thwart these efforts." Hanning added that terrorists could attempt to influence Germany's upcoming parliamentary election in September, but said there was no direct knowledge of plans to carry out specific attacks.

The Joint Terror Defense Center (GTAZ) in Berlin is said to have warned the German government that a group of about 15 terrorists had left Pakistan to conduct attacks in western countries. The GTAZ reportedly said that among the suspected terrorists were Arabs, Americans, Chechens and four Germans.

An intelligence service warning also names two men – Abu Abdul Rahman al-Najdi and Adam Gadahn – who allegedly trained the men at a terror camp in Pakistan in the first half of this year and have also been responsible for coordinating their mission.

German security experts have been planning with police and the country's emergency services how to respond in the event of a terror attack. They have voiced concern that terrorists may try to influence voters as they did in Spain with the Madrid train bombing on March 11, 2004, or try to pressure Berlin to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.

An unnamed terror expert at the conference said "the hazard had taken on a new leap in quality."

With the start of the summer travel season, the German government has also warned vacationers against visiting countries with a known terrorist potential.

gb/dpa/AFP/zdf
Editor: Michael Lawton