May 11, 2007

Imminent Terrorist Attack In Germany?

ABC News reports today that American and German security agencies have gone on high alert for a terrorist attack. The target -- US military personnel or the German tourist industry:

U.S. and German officials fear terrorists are in the advanced planning stages of an attack on U.S. military personnel or tourists in Germany.

Law enforcement officials tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com that U.S. air marshals have been diverted to provide expanded protection of flights between Germany and the United States.

"The information behind the threat is very real," a senior U.S. official told ABC News.

German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble told reporters, "The danger level is high. We are part of the global threat by Islamist terrorism."

Of particular concern, according to U.S. and German law enforcement officials, is Patch Barracks, the headquarters for U.S. European Command, near Stuttgart.

This is an unusual warning, both in its existence and its specificity. Alert levels go up occasionally, depending on the intel received, but it's rare to hear about the potential targets. This sounds like the Americans and Germans have very specific and reliable intel about a particular cell, and that they have begun to close it down. That kind of action can prompt terrorists to immediately attack when they lose up-channel communication, which may be what prompted this warning.

It could also be a false positive, a way in which terrorists can check their networks. They may be conducting a mole hunt, and the reaction could assist them in clearing their six.

Intel is a tough business, and the fact that terrorists have not been able to stage an attack on American interests outside of Iraq shows that our side has done a pretty good job. They only need to be good once, though, and hopefully this isn't the time.

UPDATE: Allahpundit notes that this is probably Ansar al-Sunna, an al-Qaeda affiliated group -- and that this warning first went out a few days ago. Not sure why ABC is repeating it now, unless it suddenly got hotter.

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Comments (4)

Posted by Fight4TheRight [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 11, 2007 1:10 PM

Apparently, the German Interior Minister hasn't gotten the memo from Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and John Murtha that the United States no longer recognizes: "We are part of the global threat by Islamist terrorism."

I'm sure Nancy is probably dictating a letter to the German Chancellor suggesting that the Germans simply invite the "freedom fighters" to a spot of tea and schnitzel and just give them what they want.

Even better...perhaps the U.S. could send our own personal representative of the Religion of Peace, Keith Ellison, to go over and mediate the whole thing!

Posted by Bill Faith [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 11, 2007 1:19 PM

ABC reads Hot Air! (If they don't they should.) It seems to be getting pretty routine to learn things from the blogs days (or weeks) before the MSM gets around to mentioning them. About the only thing fresh on the MSM sites any more is The Fred Thompson Report.

I added an excerpt and link to my 2007.05.11 Dem Perfidy // Islamism Delenda Est Roundup.  

Posted by Lightwave [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 11, 2007 1:30 PM

Indeed. Of course, the Germans are being targeted because they have 150,000 troops in Iraq, right? What? They strongly opposed the Iraqi invasion as part of Cheney's "Old Europe?"

Oh wait, it's because Angela Merkel has given all those speeches supporting Bush! That MUST be it. What's that? Her support of Bush has been lukewarm at best?

Surely it's because there have been deadly riots and vandalism all over Germany targeting Muslim immigrants...huh? Germany's pretty peaceful and goes out of its way to prevent hate crimes against Muslims with some of the strongest hate crimes laws on earth?

Well gosh, why WOULD the terrorists want to attack Germany anyway? Could it be Islamist terrorists wish to destroy or subjugate the entire non-Muslim world under Sharia law and will kill as many people as it takes for that to happen?

Germany didn't want to fight the terrorists in 2003. Is anyone surprised the terrorists want to fight the Germans? Take notes, folks. The Democrat/multiculty/soft anf fuzzy approach only means more of your countrymen die when the jihadis come for you.

Posted by endorendil | May 13, 2007 6:38 PM

No succesful attacks against American interests outside Iraq?

- Afghanistan
- Spain (cost us several thousand allied soldiers)
- Britain (with delay, same cost as Spanish bombing)

AQ stated that their goal is to bleed the US financially until it collapses like the USSR did. That strategy is almost certainly nog going to work - the US won't collapse that way - but it is what they're after. They won't attack the US homeland as long as the US wastes hundreds of billions per year fighting them. They've spent perhaps 50 million attacking the US. Aside from the cost of the attack (perhaps 100 billion?), the US has perhaps spent a trilion dollars or more fighting them. Another succesful attack is not likely to make that go up much.