“The enemies of our democratic and liberal basic order come from both outside and from within,” the German interior minister said.
German policemen. (illustration) (AFP/HANNES P. ALBERT)
Germany faces growing threats on its soil – external threats from China or Russia and internal threats linked to left-wing and right-wing extremism, its interior minister said on Tuesday, June 30, citing domestic intelligence.
Alexander Dobrindt presented in Berlin the annual report of the German domestic intelligence service BfV, which warns of an increase in cases
sabotage attributed to Moscow, Chinese espionage, Islamist terrorists
suspected of being supported by Iran and
violent neo-Nazis
.
“The enemies of our fundamental democratic and liberal order come from both without and within,” the Conservative minister says.
He calls for “very fast” action to
expand the powers of the intelligence services
countries and ease certain restrictions limiting covert operations. “Given the situation, we are convinced that we need to further strengthen our capabilities,” he said.
Russia is the main external threat
According to him,
“The main external threat now comes from Russia”
citing alleged cases of the use of “disposable” agents recruited by Moscow for espionage and sabotage operations. Russia “views Germany as a key adversary in Europe and is mobilizing all its resources in its hybrid operations on the continent,” adds Sinan Selen, president of the BfV.
Other powers are involved in sabotage operations, as well as “illegal economic or political interference, including assassinations, and the spread of disinformation.”
These actions are directed against political opponents exiled to Germany, persecuted ”
methods reminiscent of state terrorism
such as assault, kidnapping or murder.
Small groups of the far right remain more dangerous than groups of the far left, but violence is rising in both camps, Alexander Dobrindt insisted, according to the report.
Moreover,
Anti-Semitism and hostility towards Israel are a ‘serious challenge’
for the German authorities. “Jewish and Israeli goals remain a priority for some state actors, especially Iran,” Sinan Selen said.