As of: March 25, 2024, 4:07 p.m
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Herbert Reul, Interior Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia.
© Roberto Pfeil/dpa
There is no known specific terrorist threat for the Easter holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia.
According to Interior Minister Reul, the security authorities are “wide awake”.
Düsseldorf - After the terrorist attack with more than 130 deaths near Moscow, the security authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia are also “in position,” as Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) told the German Press Agency in Düsseldorf on Monday.
“The danger posed by Islamist terror is also high here in the abstract,” the minister stated.
“North Rhine-Westphalia can become a target of terrorist attacks at any time.” The security authorities are prepared for anything.
“Terrorists get what they want when we live in fear.
Nevertheless, in these days we will not only be vigilant, but also wide awake.”
There is currently no information available from which a specific threat to Easter events can be derived, said a spokesman for the Düsseldorf Interior Ministry in response to a dpa request.
In general, however, events on the occasion of Easter are an ideologically suitable target for Islamist-motivated perpetrators due to their symbolism for Christian values.
The Düsseldorf Interior Ministry explained that the district police authorities were informed and sensitized by the State Criminal Police Office immediately after the attack in Russia.
They are prepared to respond immediately to a possible worsening of the security situation over the Easter holidays if necessary.
Furthermore, in North Rhine-Westphalia there is “a high abstract threat and danger potential” from the regional branch of the so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan, the “Islamic State Khorasan Province” (ISPK).
Particularly in these times, it is important to give the police and security authorities more powers, warned Reul.
“The police and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution can only come to this situation if they are technically one step ahead of terrorists.” dpa