Germany
“Following threats of attacks, carnival parades in Germany are starting with increased security precautions. "In the current situation, it is unavoidable to take a closer look," says terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler.”



“There are numerous AfD advertising items on Amazon – right next to fan material for right-wing extremists. Experts consider this form of election advertising to be highly problematic. Berlin – Shortly before the federal election, the online mail order company Amazon is being flooded with AfD promotional items . There are numerous T-shirts and hoodies with the party logo, buttons and stickers with slogans. We reported on AfD merchandise on Amazon a year ago, but one shop suddenly disappeared during our research . But new ones have been added: Often, shipping is done directly via the Amazon service “Merch on Demand”… Articles from other parties cannot be found on Amazon. Experts are extremely critical of this particular form of election advertising. Extremism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler, director of the Counter Extremism Project, told our editorial team: "The AfD is pursuing a normalization strategy. The technical term for remigration is 'ethnic cleansing'. And now the party is using it officially and it is being printed on merchandise. That is more than worrying."”

“... "The incident in Munich is a classic attack scenario and every successful attack motivates other people to carry out such attacks," says terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler from the Counter Extremism Project BuzzFeed News Germany. "Cars were used at Christmas in Magdeburg and on New Year's Day in New Orleans. So it is not totally surprising that another attack has been attempted using a car."”

“He "stepped on the gas and then drove into the back of the gathering," said Munich Police Vice President Christian Huber, describing the attack on a group of demonstrators in Munich on Thursday morning (February 13). A 24-year-old Afghan drove his car into the crowd. At least 36 people were injured, some seriously, including a two-year-old child . On Friday, investigators assumed that the driver's motive was Islamist… "The incident in Munich is a classic attack scenario and every successful attack motivates other people to carry out such attacks," says terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler from the Counter Extremism Project BuzzFeed News Germany . "Cars were used at Christmas in Magdeburg and on New Year's Day in New Orleans. So it is not totally surprising that another attack has been attempted using a car."”

“Berlin – Several attacks within a few months : That can definitely change a society. The attacks in Solingen, Mannheim, Aschaffenburg, Magdeburg and most recently in Munich were probably motivated by extremism, the majority of them probably Islamist. In several cases, asylum seekers were the perpetrators, including the car attack in Munich in which a mother and her two-year-old child were killed and dozens of people were injured, some seriously… Hans-Jakob Schindler is aware of the theory of Russian agents in Afghanistan. "That is entirely possible, we had corresponding indications," said the director of the NGO Counter Extremism Project (CEP) in an interview with this editorial team. However, this cannot currently be proven, said the terrorism expert.”

“... "That is certainly possible, we had corresponding indications," said Hans-Jakob Schindler, the director of the NGO Counter Extremism Project (CEP), to the "Frankfurter Rundschau". However, Schindler sees no evidence of Russia or the Taliban's involvement in the attacks in Germany: "Acts of violence shortly before important elections would certainly suit the Russians," said the extremism researcher. "However, attacks cannot be timed precisely. For that to happen, Russia would have to intervene directly with the perpetrator in question. That should have been noticed during the investigations into the attacks of the last few months," said Schindler.”

“... The Munich attack once again shows the increased threat of terrorism in Germany. Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler explains why reforms in the regulation of social media, the legal basis of security and police services and the management of migration are urgently needed. Once again, a terrorist attack has shaken Germany. Since the knife attack in Solingen in May 2024, this is the sixth terrorist attack in ten months and, together with the attack in Magdeburg in December 2024, the second terrorist attack in which a vehicle was used as a means of committing the crime. There is currently very little concrete information available about the perpetrator in Munich.”

“How can we prevent what happened in Munich this week in the future? In an interview, terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler makes three demands. Mr. Schindler, Mannheim, Solingen, Magdeburg, Aschaffenburg - and now an attack in Munich... Hans-Jakob Schindler: You're forgetting the attack in Munich in September 2024, when the Islamist shot at the consulate in Munich and the Nazi Documentation Center with a rifle. Munich has been affected for the second time now. That's six attacks in ten months. That's pretty serious.”

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