Germany warned of elevated terror risk during Euro’s tournament

• Germany's "solidarity" with Israel has led to an increased risk of terror attacks during the Euro football tournament.
• Radicalized individual perpetrators with no recognizable links to terrorist organizations also pose a major threat.
• Around 2.7 million football fans are expected to attend matches in the 10 German host cities.

Germany's domestic intelligence agency has warned that the country faces an increased risk of terror attacks during the Euros football tournament due to its "solidarity" with Israel following the Hamas-led attacks on October 7. Thomas Haldenwang, the agency's head, stated that Germany has become a target for terrorist groups such as Daesh and its affiliates as a result.

“However, radicalized individual perpetrators with no recognizable links to terrorist organizations also pose a major threat,” added Haldenwang, president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, known as the BfV in German.

Across Germany, which is hosting the tournament, police have canceled leave.

The Federal Police, responsible for major infrastructure security, have conducted their largest mobilization in history, deploying 22,000 officers for the four-week event.

About 2.7 million football fans are expected to attend matches in the 10 German host cities, with German police bringing in 580 officers from neighboring countries to assist.

Last week, police at Cologne-Bonn airport arrested a suspected Daesh supporter.

On May 31, an Afghan asylum-seeker in the country attacked members of an anti-Islam group in Mannheim and killed a police officer who intervened.

Last Friday, police fatally shot an Afghan national who had used a knife to kill one person and injure three others in Wolmirstredt.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser cautioned that Germany is confronting increased threats of terrorism, far-right and far-left violence, as well as espionage attempts from Russia and China.

The domestic intelligence agency BfV issued a report warning of a surge in extremism across the political spectrum.

“We have massively ramped up all protective measures to arm ourselves against the current threats posed by extremism, terrorism, and hybrid threats,” Faeser said.

“This is necessary. The threat to our democracy from espionage, sabotage, disinformation, and cyberattacks has reached a new dimension.

“We need the highest level of awareness and protection in all areas: in institutions as well as in companies, especially in the area of critical infrastructure.”

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