Angela Merkel Defends Cancellation of Soccer Match on Security Concerns
- 8 years ago
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday defended the cancellation of a major soccer game the night before, while security officials said Germany had become a possible target of Islamist extremists.
“I was as sad as the millions of fans that this cancellation had to happen,” Ms. Merkel told reporters in Berlin.
“But the security agencies made a responsible decision.”
Officials said no explosives were found in the stadium and no arrests were made.
omestic intelligence chief Hans-Georg Maassen said Germany’s Islamist community counted about 34,000 members, and that some 300 of them posed a serious security threat.
The country’s total Muslim population is almost five million, the largest in the European Union, according to the Pew Research Center.
“I was as sad as the millions of fans that this cancellation had to happen,” Ms. Merkel told reporters in Berlin.
“But the security agencies made a responsible decision.”
Officials said no explosives were found in the stadium and no arrests were made.
omestic intelligence chief Hans-Georg Maassen said Germany’s Islamist community counted about 34,000 members, and that some 300 of them posed a serious security threat.
The country’s total Muslim population is almost five million, the largest in the European Union, according to the Pew Research Center.