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"Imminent threat" of terror attack in Germany...

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  • #1

    "Imminent threat" of terror attack in Germany...

    My wife just called and asked if I'd heard about it. I had. Here's the link Drudge used: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20101117-31227.html

    But the quotes in english, while approximately correct, lessen the bad news just a bit. In german, the gist of it is that they know that a series of attacks are coming - they believe between saturday and monday - but they don't know enough about the targets to stop them. Could be airports. Could be train stations. Could be Christmas markets. Could be all three.

    In english, they say that there is no reason to "panic." In german, they say that there's no reason for "hysteria" - an interesting chocie of words, expecially in german. Germans don't use words like 'hysteria' lightly.

    And in english, we sometimes use words in news stories for hyberbole - imminent doesn't necessarily mean "imminent" - it can mean "likely" or "potential" or "looming." If someone says "imminent" in german (it's not traditional german, but it is fancy educated german like the interior minister would use), they mean "it's going to happen."

    An attack on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon at a Christmas market (or at a train station full of people on their way to a Christmas market) could do A LOT of damage...
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  • #2
    no kidding. The Christmas markets are packed with people. I loved the one in Nuremberg. I didn't realize that the Christmas Markets started this early.
    Last edited by happyone; 11-18-2010, 06:10 AM.

    I may be small, but I'm slow.

    A veteran - whether active duty, retired, or national guard or reserve is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to, "The United States of America ", for an amount of "up to and including my life - it's an honor."

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    • #3
      Originally posted by happyone View Post
      no kidding. The Christmas markets are packed with people. I loved the one in Nuremberg. I didn't realize that the Christmas Markets started this early.
      The "Christkindlsmaerkte" used to all be tied to Advent - four Sundays prior to Christmas. But they're so popular, some of them started opening the weekend of five Sundays before Christmas. Because Christmas is on a Saturday this year, the markets are going to be open an extra-long time.

      They are remarkably cool places to hang out for an evening - especially with little kids, and especially when it's cold and snowing just a bit. They'd probably be even cooler if you were okay with drinking "Gluhwein" - warm red wine spiced with nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, and spiked with brandy...

      On the terroroism front - there were more announcements today on the worries. They say they have credible threats involving specific individuals, and their desires to attack large populations of people in pblic. They know:

      > who the individuals are (Al Qaeda from Pakistan),

      > how they got to Germany (overland through the '-Stans' that used to be part of the USSR, and through Croatia into Austria - and now that they're in the EU and there are no borders to cross and no way to track them further),

      > why they're attacking Germany (Germans gave info to Americans who used drones to take out a bunch of Al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan earlier in the year - Al Qaeda operatives who happened to be German citizens).

      > the regions where they're planning to attack (attacks are planned in both the Berlin and Frankfurt areas, focused on airports, trainstations and christmas markets).

      Problem is, they have no idea where these individuals are right now.

      And they clarified - they are expecing Mumbai-type attacks, not suicide bombers.

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      • #4
        Making it to one of those Christmas markets in Germany is a dream of mine.
        So Russell...what do you love about music? To begin with, everything.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by MarkGrace View Post
          Making it to one of those Christmas markets in Germany is a dream of mine.
          The one in Nuremberg has a special tradition on the 5th of December - When it is dark they turn of all the lights in the old city and surrounding areas and then all the children walk up to the castle holding a candle to welcome the Christ Child. It is very moving - the only lights are the flickering candles. We made sure we went to this all three years we were in the Nuremberg area.

          I may be small, but I'm slow.

          A veteran - whether active duty, retired, or national guard or reserve is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to, "The United States of America ", for an amount of "up to and including my life - it's an honor."

          Comment

          • #6
            Originally posted by happyone View Post
            The one in Nuremberg has a special tradition on the 5th of December - When it is dark they turn of all the lights in the old city and surrounding areas and then all the children walk up to the castle holding a candle to welcome the Christ Child. It is very moving - the only lights are the flickering candles. We made sure we went to this all three years we were in the Nuremberg area.
            So they don't do the cathedral anymore? What has happened to Nuremburg?

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Clark Addison View Post
              So they don't do the cathedral anymore? What has happened to Nuremburg?
              It started at the cathedral and then they walked up to the castle

              EDIT: I could be misremembering - it was 40 yrs ago, maybe they go from the castle the cathedral I'll have to check it out.
              Last edited by happyone; 11-18-2010, 02:24 PM.

              I may be small, but I'm slow.

              A veteran - whether active duty, retired, or national guard or reserve is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to, "The United States of America ", for an amount of "up to and including my life - it's an honor."

              Comment

              • #8
                I did a quick search and this is the route

                http://www.christkindlesmarkt.de/eng...?navi=1&rid=24

                starting at Kaiserstraße at 6.15 p.m., going via the Main Market Square, past the City Hall and St. Sebaldus Church up to the Castle. On the sandstone cliffs of Ölberg, the boys and girls form tableaux retelling the Christmas story, accompanied by Christmas songs.

                I did misremember the date, I thought is the night you left your shoes out for the Christ Child (Dec 5?) appearently it moves - this year it is the 9th

                Like I said it was 40 yrs ago, man I'm getting old

                On the terrorism side, we were there when the Bader-Meinhof gang (turned into the Red Brigades) started blowing up American Military Installations - The security got really tight! There was an M-60 tank parked at every entrance to an American Kaserne and Concertina wire strewn everywhere
                Last edited by happyone; 11-18-2010, 07:25 PM.

                I may be small, but I'm slow.

                A veteran - whether active duty, retired, or national guard or reserve is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to, "The United States of America ", for an amount of "up to and including my life - it's an honor."

                Comment

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