Residents and tourists alike will be heading to Christmas markets across Germany in the coming weeks to enjoy GlĂĽhwein (mulled wine), caramelised nuts and browsing for gifts.Â
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Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said everyone is looking forward to "enjoying the festive season", but she urged people to remain cautious due to the high threat of terror attacks - even though there are no indications of any planned incidents.
The country is on high alert after a series of attacks on public gatherings in recent years. In August of this year, three people were killed and several wounded following a knife attack allegedly carried out by a 26-year-old Syrian man with links to the Islamic State (IS) group. The incident led to ministers tightening knife laws.
Faeser told the Redaktions Netzwerk Deutschland (RND) that police were constantly assessing the threat situation and were "in close contact with the federal states".
She added: "The federal security authorities do not currently have any concrete indications of a threat, but in view of the generally high-threat situation, we still have reason to be very vigilant and act consistently to ensure our security."
A spokesperson for the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) said that even if there were no indications of a specific threat, Christmas markets were "particularly relevant to the threat" due to the expected high number of visitors as well as their central locations and open access.
In December 2016, a truck rampage at Berlin's Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz killed 12 people and injured hundreds of others. In October 2021, the number of fatalities rose to 13 when a first responder died of injuries sustained that night. Security measures at markets were increased following the attack.
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Jochen Kopelke, Chairman of the German Police Union (GdP), believes that police are well prepared for the threat of attacks.
"People have been able to feel safe at the Christmas markets in recent years and they can do so again this year," Kopelke told RND.
"The police have tried and tested concepts that are being used in all federal states and are protecting the Christmas markets with a lot of personnel and resources. This year, a lot has also been invested in new technology, for example in camera surveillance and access barriers."
Along with increased security measures, Faeser, of the Social Democrats, referred to the ban on knives at public events including Christmas markets, saying: "Anyone who violates the ban on knives faces fines of up to €10,000." She added that violators can also face "up to three years in prison".
Kopelke added: "Police officers are now authorised to carry out checks without suspicion in order to enforce knife bans.
"And if we find knives during these checks, we can confiscate them. This enables us to take better action against knives and other dangerous objects at Christmas markets."
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