There are concerns that the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, and the Islamic Republic’s retaliation, will also have an impact on the security situation in Germany.
The German government’s anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, warned that “we must assume that there is an increased threat to Jewish life in Germany,” Klein told the Funke Mediengruppe newspapers on Sunday.
Following the killing of the Iranian head of state and religious leader Ali Khamenei, it is to be expected that Iran will use its networks in Germany for terrorist attacks against Jewish and Israeli institutions, he said.
“We have seen the connections between increased tensions in the Middle East and increased attacks on Jewish life in Europe time and again in the past,” said Klein.
Marc Henrichmann, chairman of the German parliament’s Intelligence Oversight Committee urged vigilance.
“Retaliatory measures, including by Iranian sleeper cells in Europe,” cannot be ruled out, he told the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper on Sunday.
“The Iranian regime has repeatedly shown in the past that it also carries out its terror outside its own borders,” he said.
He added that Israeli, Jewish and US institutions in particular have been the focus of such threats for many years. However, he said, there is no reason to panic due to the existing protective measures.
The German Interior Ministry said on Saturday that Germany’s security authorities are “continuously assessing the threat based on current developments, are highly vigilant, and are adapting appropriate protective measures as necessary.”
Demonstrators hold flags during a rally with the slogan “Human rights in Iran – solidarity with the civilian population” at Ernst-August-Platz in front of the main train station in Hanover. Michael Matthey/dpa
