Germany's calm voice in security concerns
Source: Agencies |
October 7, 2010, Thursday
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A FRENCH terrorism alert about Britain and attacks on Europeans in Yemen added to Western security concerns yesterday, but Germany sought to calm nerves, saying too much public talk of risks would stir fear.
Suspected al Qaeda militants attacked two Western targets in Yemen, firing a rocket at a senior British diplomat's car and killing a Frenchman at a gas and oil installation.
France became the latest country to issue a security alert, telling citizens heading to Britain to exercise caution due to a very high risk of terrorist action there that could target public transport and tourist sites.
That followed a United States alert on Sunday warning American citizens to exercise caution if traveling in Europe. The same day, Britain raised the threat level to "high" from "general" for its citizens traveling to Germany and France.
But in Berlin, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said he saw no indications of any imminent attack on Germany, even though the country remained in general a target.
Talking about possible attacks played into the hands of terrorists by fueling public fears, he said.
"Public discussion is something terrorists use because they want to spread fear. We're working but not talking a lot," de Maiziere told Deutschlandfunk radio.
Security sources say the trigger for the series of warnings was intelligence about a possible al Qaeda-related plot to launch assaults on European cities, modeled on the 2008 Mumbai attacks by Pakistan-based gunmen that killed about 170 people.
Suspected al Qaeda militants attacked two Western targets in Yemen, firing a rocket at a senior British diplomat's car and killing a Frenchman at a gas and oil installation.
France became the latest country to issue a security alert, telling citizens heading to Britain to exercise caution due to a very high risk of terrorist action there that could target public transport and tourist sites.
That followed a United States alert on Sunday warning American citizens to exercise caution if traveling in Europe. The same day, Britain raised the threat level to "high" from "general" for its citizens traveling to Germany and France.
But in Berlin, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said he saw no indications of any imminent attack on Germany, even though the country remained in general a target.
Talking about possible attacks played into the hands of terrorists by fueling public fears, he said.
"Public discussion is something terrorists use because they want to spread fear. We're working but not talking a lot," de Maiziere told Deutschlandfunk radio.
Security sources say the trigger for the series of warnings was intelligence about a possible al Qaeda-related plot to launch assaults on European cities, modeled on the 2008 Mumbai attacks by Pakistan-based gunmen that killed about 170 people.
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