German military intelligence finds 20 Islamists in Bundeswehr – DW

The German government is planning security checks on all Bundeswehr applicants from July 2017 after 20 Islamists were uncovered in the army, a report says. It said more suspects in the ranks were being investigated, Deutsche Welle reports.

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen will soon propose legislation to carry out security checks on every aspiring Bundeswehr recruit, after the military counterespionage service (MAD) identified 20 Islamists in army ranks, a media report said on Saturday, according to Deutsche Welle.

A spokesman for MAD said 60 additional potential cases in the Bundeswehr were under investigation for suspected links to Islamist militants.

He said recruiting offices had received an undisclosed number of queries from people wanting to join the military for just a few months to undergo intensive weapons and equipment training.

Such queries have bolstered concerns that Islamist groups might be trying to gain military training for their supporters by having them join the Bundeswehr. MAD already warned early last year that radical Islamists militants could be abusing the opportunities offered by the army.

German security services are on high alert after  two Islamist militant attacks this summer. The arrival of some 900,000 migrants last year, many of them from the Middle East, has also fueled fears that Islamist extremists might have entered the country as pretend asylum-seekers.

Avatar photo

UaPositon

An independent media focused on Ukraine.
Follow us on social media:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published.

Share This

Share this post with your friends!