German anti-terrorism measures debated
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German authorities concede only luck prevented terrorists from blowing up two trains last month &#151; an admission that has set off a push for stronger security measures, including more video cameras, a new anti-terrorism database and even armed marshals.
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Germany's president says a new law allowing for hijacked airliners to be shot down may violate the constitution.
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Germany will take tougher action against Islamic "hate preachers" in the future and expel them if necessary, German Interior Minister Otto Schily said yesterday.
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The European Commission proposes co-ordinated anti-terror measures targeting flight data and the web.
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Germany interior minister calls for new anti-terror measures after a failed bomb attack on two trains last month.
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Germany, fearful of being the next major target for Islamic terrorists, is edging away from its deep aversion to intrusive and harsh enforcement tactics.
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Â· Civil liberties activists condemn proposalÂ· Conservatives back other counter-terror measures
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(InfoWorld) - For months, German Interior Minister Wolfgang SchÃ¤uble has been lobbying intensively forÂ tough security measures to fight terrorismÂ and cybercrime. Now he's putting his words into action. Law enforcement officials in Germany and Austria are now among the first to have electronic access to each other's fingerprint databases, the German Federal Ministry of the Interior said Monday. Since 2006, the two countries have shared their DNA databases as one of several measures agreed by some European Union nations under the Treaty of PrÃ¼m in 2005. The treaty, which has meanwhile been signed by several E.U. member states, gives police and other security agencies in different countries unprecedentedÂ access to a range of individuals' personal data. During its E.U. presidency, Germany is trying to muster enough support to turn the Treaty of PrÃ¼m into E.U. law. Support for tough security measures has grown in Germany and other E.U. member states that worry about their national security being increasingly threatened by international terrorism, organized crime and, increasingly, cybercrime. Recently, the Baltic nation ofÂ Estonia suffered several weeks of DDOSÂ (distributed denial-of-service) attacks against government and private-sector Web sites. That DDOS attack sent a warning signal to governments across Europe. On Monday at an IT security conference hosted by the German Interior Ministry, SchÃ¤uble referred to information technology and communications infrastructures as "the nerve strands of society" and called on everyone -- governments, businesses and consumers -- to give IT security a top priority. Protecting critical infrastructure, including communication and energy grids, from cyberattacks is a key area of focus during the two-day conference. SchÃ¤uble is also determined to give the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) greater power to monitor terrorists and criminals online by allowing the agency to peek inside their computers. In an interview with the Berliner Zeitung published on Saturday, the minister said he aims to complete draft legislation over the next few weeks to allow the BKA to hack into the PCs of suspected criminals. This year Germany's High Court handed down a landmark decisionÂ banning police from installing spywareÂ on computers of suspected criminals without their knowledge. The High Court in Karlsruhe argued that searching computers is similar to searching homes, a practice in Germany that requires police to follow certain procedures, such as obtaining a search warrant and informing suspected offenders of a search. The judges also argued that hacking computers by the police is not permitted under Germany's strict phone-tapping laws and that legislation would be needed to enable covert surveillance. In the interview, SchÃ¤uble said he would amend Germany's constitutional law to allow online surveillance if the country's leading courts required such an amendment. In February, Germany passed a law allowing security officials to create the largest and most comprehensive pool of personal data ever amassed in the country. The databases of nearly 40 different agencies, including BKA and the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), are now linked to allow authorities to run searches on suspected individuals and retrieve information within minutes. Â
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Australian political leaders have gone into hot debate Monday as how to eliminate threat of regional terrorism, either through cooperation with local countries, or a pre-emptive strikes.
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German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder pointed out Russian and German common positions on counter-terrorism. The governments of both countries [Russia and Germany] believes that counter-terrorism should be ...
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The construction of mosques in German cities is stoking anti-foreign sentiment and reinforcing fears that Christianity is under threat.
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German authorities called for increased vigilance on Friday against possible terror attacks, saying the kind of threat detected before the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States had resurfaced.
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Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday defended Germany's troop deployment in Afghanistan, even as a kidnapped German was found dead there and government officials warned the country is facing a higher risk of terrorist attacks.
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Germany is reeling after an alleged al-Qaeda-style bomb attempt on home soil, says the BBC's Tristana Moore.
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A new Polish law gives authorities the power to order hijacked airliners shot down &#151; a post-Sept. 11 measure that underscores growing terrorism concerns in Europe but drew criticism when enacted in Germany.
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An upsurge in far-right attacks is causing concern in Germany as the soccer tournament nears
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"I recommend holding this discussion in a climate in which we do not open false fronts, but instead all decide together for freedom and security in equal measure"  A new poll suggested Chancellor Angela Merkel 's party may be benefiting from last week's foiling of an alleged bomb plot. via Pravda