Fear of terrorism in Germany

The arrest of a suspected terrorist in connection with a failed attempt to blow up regional trains has triggered renewed debate on the subject of internal security in Germany. Stefan Reinecke comments. "No one knows how exploded trains would have changed the mood here in Germany. That in itself is reason enough to praise the police. Now even leftist liberals will have to ask themselves whether video surveillance in public places is such a bad thing. But we shouldn't rush to conclusions, because much remain unclear, and there are also blatant attempts to create panic... The Interior Minstry's Pavlovian response has been to bring out all the tighter laws it had in planning. Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble wants more powers for the Federal Intelligence Service and more exchange of information with the police. More, more, more. It's the typical response, and we should be sceptical about it despite this recent success."

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