The agency said the raised risk of attacks against the Jewish community or "the West as a whole" came in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks and Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

In the BfV threat assessment, agency leader Thomas Haldenwang said the threat of an Islamist attack had long loomed over Germany.

"I have repeatedly emphasized that an Islamist attack can be carried out in Germany any day," he said.

However, Haldenwang said the current violence with Israel and the Palestinian territories had led to an increased frequency of calls for violence within the "jihadist spectrum."

"This could lead to the radicalization of perpetrators acting alone who attack 'soft targets' with simple means," said Haldenweg. "The danger is real and higher than it has been for a long time."

The report noted that organizations such as the so-called "Islamic State" militant group and al-Qaeda were increasingly being drawn into the conflict.

While there have been previous ideological differences between those groups and Hamas, the assessment noted that "antisemitism forms a common denominator."

"The dimension of the Hamas attack and the associated worldwide publicity are motivating IS and al-Qaeda to make expressions of support that previously seemed hardly conceivable," the report said.

"As a result, the risk potential for possible terrorist attacks against Jewish and Israeli people and institutions as well as against 'the West' as a whole has increased significantly."

AzVision.az

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