USA raises terror warning level for Germany ━ The European Conservative

The US State Department has issued a Level 2 travel warning for Germany due to fears of terrorism, meaning travelers there should “exercise increased caution”.

“Terrorist groups continue to plan attacks in Germany” and “may attack with little or no warning,” the State Department noted.

The agency added that terrorists could target tourism and transportation hubs as well as shopping destinations, hotels, clubs, restaurants, local government facilities and major events.

They did not reveal the exact motives of the suspected terrorists, although Europol warned last year that the vast majority of terror crimes in the EU were Islamist-motivated.

The Foreign Ministry said those who decide to travel to Germany should be aware of their surroundings, follow the instructions of local authorities, be aware of the latest news in the region and adjust their plans if necessary.

It also encouraged travelers to create a contingency plan for emergency situations and enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive notifications and make it easier for the State Department to locate them in an emergency.

The warning comes after Canada issued its own safety alerts across Western Europe in late March.

Germany is the only European country for which the US has imposed an increased travel warning this year, with the exception of Moldova, which borders Ukraine, which has a similar warning.

Since the European Football Championship takes place in Germany from June 14th to July 14th, it could be seen as a tempting target for terrorists. So far, terrorist threats have targeted high-profile football matches.

The UK’s travel advice abroad even spoke of a “high risk of terrorist attacks worldwide affecting British interests and British nationals”, citing various terrorist attacks that have taken place in Germany in recent years.

These include a killing and serious injury from a knife attack in Dresden in 2020 and two mass shootings in bars in Hanau in which eight people were killed in the same year.

In 2019, two people were fatally shot near a synagogue in the city of Halle.

In addition, Germany has seen a significant increase in Islamist-inspired terrorist attacks in the last two years, particularly since the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians on October 7th.

So far, she has largely succeeded in detecting and thwarting them, although getting lone wolves under control remains a major challenge.