German federal police chief warns of IS radicalization of refugees
(dpa)
Berlin - The head of Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) on Tuesday warned of the "potential Islamist threat" posed by the Islamic State terrorist group in the country, with refugees particularly at risk of becoming radicalized.
"We have a constantly growing potential Islamist threat in Germany," BKA President Holger Muench told the European Police Congress in Berlin.
While Islamic State may have suffered territorial losses in Syria and Iraq in recent months, Muench said the militia was very "adaptable."
Germany is currently monitoring 743 people with extremist Islamist links, a marked increase on 2013 when the figure was 139. Nine hundred and seventy people are thought to have returned to the country from the Islamic State's shrinking caliphate in the Middle East.
"We know that the risk relating to the flow of refugees has not got smaller," Muench said.
He called for stronger cooperation across Germany and Europe in the fight against Islamist violence, with the help of digital channels. "We must become more cyber-literate," he said.
Around 1,300 security experts from 60 nations are scheduled to speak at the two-day congress in the German capital.
While Islamic State may have suffered territorial losses in Syria and Iraq in recent months, Muench said the militia was very "adaptable."
Germany is currently monitoring 743 people with extremist Islamist links, a marked increase on 2013 when the figure was 139. Nine hundred and seventy people are thought to have returned to the country from the Islamic State's shrinking caliphate in the Middle East.
"We know that the risk relating to the flow of refugees has not got smaller," Muench said.
He called for stronger cooperation across Germany and Europe in the fight against Islamist violence, with the help of digital channels. "We must become more cyber-literate," he said.
Around 1,300 security experts from 60 nations are scheduled to speak at the two-day congress in the German capital.