Germany On Guard Against A Mumbai-Style Attack

From Jihad Watch:

Germany on guard against Mumbai-style attack


Another update in the current wave of threats against Germany. Prior reporting named the country's Christmas markets as a possible target for such a mass-casualty attack. The symbolism is obvious, as is the potential economic impact. "Germany says guarding against Mumbai-style attack," by Brian Rohan for Reuters, November 18:



BERLIN (Reuters) - German authorities are on guard against threats of armed attack on civilians of the kind that killed 166 in the Indian city of Mumbai in 2008, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said Thursday.

Police are taking added precautions, de Maiziere said, a day after Germany tightened security measures citing threats from Islamist militants.

"What we are basically preparing ourselves for, is that terrorists, coming from abroad, commit an attack soon after arrival, without warning, in a building or public place, knowing that they may not survive," de Maiziere told broadcaster ZDF.

"In shop talk, we'd call that something similar to what happened in Mumbai," he added.

Wednesday, Germany said it had strong evidence Islamist militants were planning attacks in the next two weeks, and it ordered security at potential targets such as train stations and airports to be tightened.

Security officials in Berlin said on condition of anonymity then that three scenarios existed -- one involving senior al Qaeda leader Younis al Mauretani, another involving the Mumbai-style attack, and a third pointing to sleeper cells already in Germany.

As de Maiziere spoke, German police were on route to Namibia to aid a separate investigation into a suspect package found at Windhoek airport during security checks for a German tourist flight to Munich.

De Maiziere said he was waiting for results of the investigation before he could say what had happened or if there had been any connection to other threats.

"We don't know yet what happened," he said. "By all means there is evidence it could have been a test, but no confirmation," he said.

In Germany, threats also existed from lone "fanatic operators" and not only a Mumbai-style group attack, de Maiziere said, adding that such large-scale killing would be prevented.

"God willing, as long as we work well, this attack scenario will not happen in Germany, and the measures we are taking -- visibly and behind the scenes -- are helping," he said.Posted by Marisol on November 18, 2010 5:01 PM


And this, related, also from Jihad Watch:

German intel showed al-Qaeda operatives en route to country, Christmas markets a possible target


Such an attack would cause economic damage, with the additional symbolic impact of attacking an event related to a non-Muslim religious celebration. More on this story. "'Ilyas Kashmiri plotting attacks in Germany'," from the Times of India, November 18:



BERLIN: German intelligence agents have received evidence from the US that al-Qaida has sent two to four terrorists to Germany and UK via India and the UAE, media reported on Wednesday.

The mastermind behind the possible attacks was named as Mohammed Ilyas Kashmiri, a leading al-Qaida figure from Pakistan. He is also alleged to be behind a bomb attack earlier this year on the German Bakery in Pune, India, in which 17 people were killed. Kashmiri reportedly recruited the men for the latest planned attacks in the Afghan-Pakistani border region. Their identity was not known.

Germany said on Wednesday it was tightening security at airports and train stations after receiving concrete evidence of planned terrorist attacks in the country, including one this month. "From today, there will be a visible police presence. I thought it should be explained to citizens," interior minister Thomas De Maiziere told a hastily called press conference in Berlin.

"There will also be a variety of measures that will not be visible. There is reason for concern, but no reason for hysteria," he added.

"According to information from a foreign partner which came to us after the Yemen incident, we suspect a planned attack is due to be put into action at the end of November ," De Maiziere said.

Last month authorities discovered two US-bound parcel bombs originating from Yemen, one of which went through Cologne airport in western Germany. Citing security sources, the Tagesspiegel daily said the United States had tipped off Berlin that between two and four al-Qaida operatives were on their way to Germany and Britain to attempt attacks.

Among the targets Tagesspiegel cited were Germany's popular Christmas markets. The paper added the militants were expected to arrive in Germany on November 22 via India or the United Arab Emirates....Posted by Marisol on November 18, 2010 9:02 AM