Angela Merkel has warned that recent successes against the terrorist group could lead to heightened danger at home. Her message comes as Germany and its allies seek new ways to counter radicalism.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Nietfeld
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Speaking to German police chief Frank Rogatty, German Chancellor Merkel said Germany and its allies had achieved significant advances against "Islamic State" (IS) - pointing to the liberation of the Iraqi city of Mosul as an example.
"This in turn has raised the threat level in our country, because the aggressiveness has increased," the chancellor said.
The German leader's remarks came on Saturday during her weekly video podcast, just as Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen visited Bahrain to discuss with allies ways to defeat the so-called "Islamic State" (IS).
Von der Leyen discussed IS during a security conference in BahrainImage: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Jensen
'A coalition for education'
Merkel's warning was released the same day von der Leyen spoke at the Gulf security conference alongside her US and European counterparts. The German defense minister emphasized that IS could only be defeated once governments put more emphasis on spreading liberal values and creating economic opportunities for the sort of young people who travel abroad to join IS.
"We should complement the coalition against terror with a coalition for education," von der Leyen said.
"To win the war we have to dominate the internet," she added. "But to win peace we have to offer hope and a future."
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian echoed von der Leyen's statement, arguing that military might alone would not defeat terrorism.
More Islamists in German jails
But while politicians debate which education measures will keep people from radicalizing, a new report showed a dramatic increase in the number of radical Islamists in German prisons.
According to a survey conducted by the country's Ministry of Justice and reported on in the daily "Rheinische Post," there are currently 150 Islamists in jail - an increase of about 30 percent over last year. Germany has experienced concerns over domestic terrorism following the country's intake of refugees from the Middle East and Central Asia.
blc/sms (AFP, epd)
Chronology: Terror plots in Germany
Several times over the past 18 months, police have managed to thwart terror attacks and plots in Germany, which has clearly become a target for Islamic militants in Europe. The following made the headlines:
Image: Reuters/M. Rehle
Leipzig, October 2016
Police in Leipzig arrested 22-year-old Syrian refugee Jaber al-Bakr after a two-day manhunt following the discovery of explosives and other bomb-making equipment at his apartment in Chemnitz. He was suspected of plotting to attack a Berlin airport. Two days later, he hanged himself in his prison cell.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Willnow
Ansbach, July 2016
In July, the "Islamic State" (IS) claimed responsibility for two attacks carried out by asylum seekers. 15 people were injured in a crowded wine bar next to the entrance to a music festival in the Bavarian town of Ansbach after a rejected Syrian asylum seeker detonated an explosive device. The man killed himself in the attack.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/D. Karmann
Würzburg, July 2016
A 17-year-old asylum seeker wielding an axe and a knife went on a rampage on a regional train near Würzburg, seriously injuring four members of a tourist family from Hong Kong and a passer-by. The attacker was shot dead by police. German authorities said the teenager was believed to be a "lone wolf" inspired by the IS, but without being a member of the network.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Hildenbrand
Düsseldorf, May 2016
Three suspected members of the "Islamic State" terror network were arrested in the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg and Baden Württemberg. Authorities say two of the men planned to blow themselves up in downtown Düsseldorf, while the other attacker and a fourth jihadist arrested in France planned to target pedestrians with guns and explosive devices.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Hitij
Essen, April 2016
Police arrested three people over a bomb blast that injured three people in a Sikh temple in Essen. The bomb detonated after a wedding party, blowing out windows and destroying a part of the building's exterior. A 16-year-old suspect turned himself in after police showed footage of the attack from a surveillance camera and special police units arrested another young suspect in his parents' home.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Kusch
Hanover, February 2016
German-Moroccan Safia S. is charged with stabbing a police officer at the main train station in the northern city of Hanover. The 16-year-old girl is suspected of having been "motivated by members of the Islamic State group in Syria to commit this act," chief prosecutor Simon Heinrichs said.
Image: Polizei
Berlin, February 2016
In separate raids across the country, police arrested three Algerians suspected of links to the "Islamic State" militant group and of having planned a terrorist attack in Berlin. The Berlin prosecutor's office said prosecutors were aware of a "concrete" plan to target the capital.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
Oberursel, April 2015
The Eschborn-Frankfurt City loop bike race was called off after German police discovered it may have been the target of an Islamist terror attack. A 35-year-old German with a Turkish background and his 34-year-old wife were arrested on suspicion of planning the attack. Police found bomb-making materials in their home near the bike route.
