Intimidation efforts kick into high gear. “Taliban threatens Germany ahead of vote: official,” from Agence France-Presse, September 25:
German authorities have uncovered a new video threatening attacks against the country over its military engagement in Afghanistan ahead of this weekend’s pivotal elections, an official said Friday.
The new Internet video threats are believed to come from the Taliban, an interior ministry spokesman said, and demand that Germany withdraw its troops from the war-torn country.[…]
In the new video, a man calling himself “Ajjub” and speaking in German said: “Because of your commitment here against Islam, attacking Germany has become an attractive idea for us, the mujahideen,” according to the spokesman.
The militant said it was only a matter of time “before jihad destroys German walls.”
Photos of famous German sites and events then appear, including Brandenburg Gate, Munich’s Oktoberfest beer festival and Cologne Cathedral.
Politicians, including Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and Defence Minister Franz-Josef Jung, are also shown, the spokesman said.
A German investigator quoted by Der Spiegel’s Internet site described the threat as “the most concrete” against the country because of the places and people singled out….
And a word from the world’s wealthiest cave dweller: “‘Bin Laden message’ to Europe appears on Internet,” from CNN, September 25:
(CNN) — A purported message from Osama bin Laden to Europeans urges them to distance themselves from the United States, noting that Americans are losing the war in Afghanistan.
The brief message in Arabic, which appeared Friday on radical Islamic Web sites, has subtitles in English and German. […]
“It won’t be long until the dust of war clears in Afghanistan, at which point you won’t find a trace of any American,” he adds.
“You are aware that oppression topples those who commit it and injustice has unhealthy consequences for the unjust, and that one of the greatest forms of injustice is to kill people without right, yet this is exactly what your governments and soldiers are committing under the umbrella of the NATO alliance in Afghanistan,” bin Laden warns.
All of this naturally raises questions of whether an attack is imminent. Of course, one never knows until arrests are made or a bomb goes off if the sabre rattling is just that, or something more. “Bin Laden tape indicates upcoming attack: IntelCenter,” from Agence France-Presse, September 25:
NICOSIA (AFP) – The latest statement by Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden contains language considered a valid indicator of an upcoming attack, the IntelCenter US monitoring group said on Friday.
In an audio message posted on jihadist Internet forums on Friday, bin Laden called on European countries to end their alliance with the United States and withdraw their forces from Afghanistan, monitoring organisations said.
“This indicator when viewed in light of the five Abu Talha videos this year, three of which have been released in the last eight days and their focus on the upcoming elections in Germany, significantly raises the threat level even further,” IntelCenter said.
“There is currently a very high threat of an attack occurring in Germany or against German interests in the immediate period and extending for at least the next four weeks. A single or multiple-stage attack may occur before, during or after the elections against a German target or targets,” it said….