Germany's Faeser calls for 'vigilance' at Christmas markets

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on Thursday called for "great vigilance" at Germany's popular Christmas markets.

However, she stressed that there was no "concrete" evidence of a threat.

What did Faeser say about the threat to Christmas markets?

Faeser said there was a high threat situation more broadly.

"Federal security authorities do not currently have any concrete indications of danger," she told the newspapers of the RND media group.

"But in view of the high threat situation at an abstract level we still have reason to be very vigilant and to take effective action for our security," she said, adding that security authorities were monitoring "all conceivable threats."

The minister thanked the regional police forces of Germany's states for "present in many places with such great commitment" to ensuring security.

Faeser pointed to heightened security measures, including the enforcement of a strict knife ban at Christmas markets, with infringement being penalized by fines of up to €10,000 ($10,543).

Germany's interior minister warned of potential threats on Christmas markets (file photo: September 9, 2024)Image: Michael Kappeler/dpa/picture alliance

Security authorities cite 'Islamist' threat

Germany's BfV domestic security agency said that Germany remained a target for "various terrorist organizations" including the so-called "Islamic State" group.

It said that Christmas markets could be targeted due to their "symbolism" related to "Christian values" and as an "embodiment of Western culture and way of life."

The agency said that the markets could serve as a suitable target for individuals with an "Islamist motive."

Germany holds around 3,000 Christmas markets every yearImage: Ying Tang/picture alliance

Attacks on Christmas markets

In 2016, an Islamist attacker drove a stolen truck through a crowd at a Christmas market at central Berlin's Breitscheidplatz, killing 12 and injuring dozens.

The city of Strasbourg in neighboring France was also the site of an attack on a Christmas market in 2018 in which five were killed.

In June of this year, a court in the western German city of Cologne sentenced a 15-year-old to four years in youth custody for planning an attack on a Christmas market in the nearby city of Leverkusen.

sdi/zc (AFP, dpa, KNA, Reuters)