Tip off ahead of the Munich attacks
January 3, 2016
An Iraqi citizen went to the police in Germany's southern state Baden-Württemberg, claiming that his brother, who lives in Iraq, knew that militants were going to strike Munich, in neighboring Bavaria. The man passed on this information a week before the New Year, on December 23, German public broadcasters SWR and BR reported on Sunday.
Baden-Württemberg's prosecutors subsequently ordered an investigation and police interviewed the man, who said attacks would be carried out on January 6 or the Feast of the Epiphany - a Christian holiday observed in Bavaria. The man also gave details of seven Islamists who he said were in Munich at the time.
Despite the tip-off, police were unable to locate the persons named by the man. They also conducted two raids on apartments in Munich on December 30, but found no suspects. Authorities raised a terror alarm only on New Year's after receiving a "very concrete tip" from intelligence services in France and US.
The Munich central and Pasing stations were consequently evacuated for several hours on December 31. Police had to once again evacuate residential areas near the two train stations on Saturday night after a false alarm for explosives.
Around 1,100 Islamists are currently living in Germany, according to the country's secret service. Of those, 430 of these have already committed serious crimes.
Meanwhile, a recent survey conducted in Germany revealed that 79 percent thought the war against terror was the most important theme to be addressed in 2016. Only 44 percent Germans thought the government should restrict the flow of refugees into the country.
mg/rc (AFP, dpa)