German Authorities Push for Increased Surveillance of Refugees, After Raids Net Three Terror Suspects by James Carstensen
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After raiding refugee shelters in three towns in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein this week, German authorities detained three suspected Islamic State (ISIS) members linked to the same group that carried out the November 2015 Paris attacks.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere confirmed that three Syrian nationals were arrested on Tuesday, and that one was found to have joined ISIS a year ago.
The young men were said to have entered Germany in November with the intention of “carrying out a previously determined order [from ISIS] or to await further instructions.”
They are thought to have traveled through Turkey and Greece, using fake passports issued by ISIS along with U.S. cash and mobile phones loaded with a communications app.
De Maiziere linked the individuals to the Paris attacks.
“There is every reason to believe that the same trafficking group used by the Paris attackers also brought the three men who were arrested to Germany,” he said [1], adding that their forged passports had also come from the “same workshop.”
More than 200 officers from the German Federal Police and agents from the GSG9 special operations unit took part in the coordinated raids.
Germany has remained on edge following several violent attacks [2] in July, including a suicide bombing attempt near a music festival, and an ax-and-knife attack on a commuter train, both later linked to ISIS.
German police have ramped up security efforts since the attacks. In raids on refugee facilities in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia last month, two men were arrested on suspicion of connection to jihadist movements. One is suspected of planning an attack at a soccer game.
After those arrests, Rainer Wendt, a police officer and head of the German Police Trade Union, called for increased monitoring of asylum seekers.
“What happened here in North Rhine-Westphalia showed that it’s right to observe these people and, at the right time, to take them into custody,” he said.
Last weekend De Maiziere warned in an interview [3] with the Bild daily that there were 520 “potential” Islamist attackers in the country, as well as a further 360 “relevant persons” under surveillance, closely affiliated with potential attackers.
Hans-Georg Maassen, the head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency (BfV) said potential attackers such those arrested on Tuesday were being given orders by foreign terror leaders through messaging services, as well as via social network services such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram.
He described the apps as services where “perpetrators themselves are safe and not recognized,” and said the scenario was “especially challenging for security authorities – as is the uncovering of sleeper cells.”
Intelligence agencies have now requested increased budgets to boost cyber defense and surveillance such as on encrypting communications on messaging services such as WhatsApp.
The BfV has reportedly asked for an 18 percent budget rise to 307 million euros ($345 million) for 2017, while the foreign intelligence agency (BND) requested a 12 percent rise.
Left party spokesman Jan Korte condemned the plans, accusing the ruling coalition of “continuing to march on towards a surveillance state.”
Korte said the expansion of surveillance creates more insecurity, not more security.
Despite the arrests having taken place at refugee shelters, De Maiziere said “it would be wrong to place refugees under general suspicion.”
“Security forces have repeatedly received tip-offs of individual terrorists or sympathizers among the refugees,” he said, “but most of these have turned out not to be true.”
But critics of the government’s open refugee policy see the arrests as confirmation of their fears.
“The glaring gaps in controlling the immense flood of refugees” is a vulnerability exploited to bring terrorists to Europe, charged Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU), repeating calls for stricter border controls.
Holger Münch, president of the Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany told RBB Info Radio that people must differentiate between refugees and terrorists.
“It is not the refugees themselves, but [ISIS who] is exploiting the flow of refugees,” he said.
The federal government is continuing plans to provide extensive support to refugees.
On Wednesday it put forward a draft law dedicating one billion euros ($1.125 billion) to help build new housing to accommodate people with official refugee status.
If passed by parliament, the bill would grant funds across Germany’s 16 states, which would have discretion as to how the funds are spent – as long as it goes towards helping refugees integrate into German society.
“We are starting measures that will amount to some 20 billion euros ($22.5 billion) by 2019,” said Economy Minister Wolfgang Schäuble.
Courtesy of CNSNews.com
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