According to Focus, a German news magazine, over 50 Muslims have returned to Germany from fighting in Iraq . These 50 are under observation by the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), which would not confirm the report.
As has been discussed repeatedly in these pages, the World Cup soccer tournament is schedule to occur June 9 through July 9 in 12 German cities. Many security concerns have been allayed ; however, new vulnerabilities continue to surface. With 57 days to go, Germany is anticipating over 10,000 fans. For example, for fans who cannot get tickets, the German government is also providing big screen televisions in public settings for game viewing. Consequently, the Interior Ministry has called on each state to arrange for CCTV, security checks, and crowd control. Also, German security expert Klaus Dieter Matschke raised concerns on April 7 that websites like Google Earth are security risks for the competition because they provide security details of the stadiums. This issue has not been fully addressed or resolved.
A controversial security issue is that of physical security. The German military is prohibited from interfering with state functions . So, each state will assign its police force to guard facilities. Some 400 additional security professionals from other countries will augment the German state police forces. According to Stephen Thomas, head of the UK contingent, “I can say without a doubt the level of cooperation is without comparison.” Private security companies may also be employed to guard team quarters, etc. German police and border patrol will be responsible for team transport, since they also are tasked with security at airports, streets, and other open areas. However, there is talk, especially in Berlin, of various protests?unrelated to the World Cup?taking place that would divert security forces from the games and potentially leave them understaffed.
To date, there has been no open source threat posed against the World Cup. As was indicated in the WAR Report, the most significant threat is likely posed by feisty, intoxicated hooligans, particularly from Poland , Ukraine , Czech Republic , and the UK , which has longstanding hooliganism problems. Authorities are more concerned with Eastern European hooliganism, as they do not have security files on many of these individuals. Border controls will be reinstated temporarily for spot checks. However, the threat of Islamic terrorism should neither be discounted nor exaggerated. The German collective memory of the 1972 Munich Olympics weighs heavily, and a successful, uneventful World Cup would go far in closing that chapter of German history.
South Korea’s terrorism officer Min Jang, who was involved in his country’s 2002 hosting of the Cup, said at a recent security conference for the tournament, “I had the impression they were very well prepared and have covered every threat imaginable” (source).
Regardless, the Germans are very sensitive to ensuring the event goes off without a hitch. According to Kai Hirschmann, from the German Institute of Terrorism Research and Security Politics, “in the aftermath of 9/11 , large sporting events were also pulled into the crosshairs of international terrorism. Attacks are no longer symbolic acts; for that, events like the World Cup 2006 could also be targets” (source). So, while some 50 Muslims may be under surveillance for possible terrorist activity, security must be extremely cautious as not to be blinded by the threat of radical Islam to the exclusion of other nefarious acts. And, finally, particularly in the wake of the Mohammed-Cartoons and other less news-grabbing cartoons, a bit of cultural sensitivity and inclusion would go a long way to achieve the Cup’s goal of “a time to make friends.”