International Terrorism
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Globalization of a strategy of violence
Terrorist groups may pursue different political and ideological objectives but have similar strategies of violence. And they all count on the same psychological effect: spreading fear and terror. What is more, a connected world enables terrorism to be quickly brought in from abroad.
Even after the so-called Islamic State (IS) lost its entire territory in Iraq and Syria, it remains the most dangerous terrorist group at the moment. The BND expects IS to continue to stay active both in those regions and through its international network of supporters.
The main reason for this assumption is that IS has deepened the divide between the Sunnis and the Shias even more, thus having created an additional breeding ground for Islamist-motivated terrorism.
Threat situation remains serious
Europe and thus Germany have been in the focus of international Islamist-motivated terrorism for many years now. The threat situation continues to be serious following attacks in Madrid, London, Paris, Brussels, Istanbul, Barcelona and Berlin.
According to the IEP, the number of victims of terrorism worldwide was 13,826 (down by 15,5 percent against 2018)
Terrorists increasingly choose so-called »soft« targets. Symbolic places and buildings are no longer their sole targets but also large crowds of people of any kind.
This makes hundred percent protection virtually impossible. What is especially difficult to identify beforehand are radicalized people acting on their own rather than as part of a network. At the same time, Islamist propaganda is now directly targeting such people.
Close cooperation among German security agencies
German security agencies therefore work together closely in order to exchange information and prevent attacks. The Bundesnachrichtendienst’s task is to recognize threats from abroad as early as possible and, for example, to identify potential attackers returning to Germany from Syria.
In order to prevent terrorist acts, the BND has also intensified cooperation with international partners, be it in the Western hemisphere or in crisis areas. Should an attack occur, we then use these connections to help with prosecuting the masterminds, thus thwarting further crimes.
