Germany raises threat level to high as interior minister warns of imminent attack risk

Alexander Dobrindt, the German Interior Minister, has warned of a heightened threat of attacks in Germany, upgrading the security threat level from an abstract threat to a high threat level. "The increased reporting and intelligence situation has led me to upgrade the previously formulated abstract threat situation to a high threat level," Dobrindt told the newspaper "Welt am Sonntag" in a pre-release report. "This means that in Germany, the risk of attacks must be reckoned with at any time."
Dobrindt also announced plans for a comprehensive reform of the intelligence service law, which will be discussed by the cabinet on August 13. The reform aims to give intelligence services the ability to intervene in certain threat situations, rather than just collecting and analyzing information.
"Our goal is to develop the intelligence services into true secret services to be competitive and partnership-capable with our friendly services abroad," Dobrindt said. In acute terror situations, this could mean that constitutional protection officers enter and search apartments if police forces are not available in time.
Additionally, the reform includes measures to manipulate information to disrupt attack plans or foreign espionage. For example, if the construction instructions for a bomb are identified by intelligence services, the information could be altered to make the bomb non-functional.
Dobrindt warned of clear attack plans against Germany, targeting not only infrastructure but also individuals or institutions.
To ensure oversight, an independent control council will be established to approve such measures in advance. Dobrindt emphasized that the separation between intelligence services and police would not be abolished. "Arresting people remains the task of the police," he said.
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