German Conservative Leader Frei to Propose Stricter Rules for Extremists

Following a recent attack at Berlin's Christopher Street Day, Thorsten Frei, the new leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, announced plans to implement stricter regulations for individuals deemed a threat. Frei, who took leadership on July 29, stated his intention to push for changes in how authorities handle extremists by August.

Frei expressed support for proposals by Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), which include measures like preventive detention and the use of electronic ankle monitors. He also suggested that juvenile criminal law might not be the appropriate legal framework for individuals over 18 who pose a threat. The key challenge now is to find common ground with the governing coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

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This points in the right direction when one talks about preventive detention, when one talks about the use of the ankle monitor, when one also talks about the fact that for those who pose a threat, the application of juvenile criminal law is certainly not necessarily the right scale if they are adolescents.

While acknowledging that acts like the one committed by the Islamist Abdul B. cannot be entirely prevented, Frei emphasized the political responsibility to minimize the probability of such events. He highlighted that measures such as preventive detention and ankle monitoring are crucial for enhancing security. The main suspect in the attack was known to security authorities and was classified as a person of concern.

The 21-year-old suspect, Abdul B., had previously been sentenced to one year and ten months in youth detention for attempting to join the IS terror group. However, the sentence was not legally binding as the Attorney General's office appealed for a harsher penalty. The court had lifted an existing arrest warrant. The attack at the CSD parade in Berlin resulted in one fatality and 31 injuries, some severe. The suspect died the day after the attack following a police shooting. A confession video pledging allegiance to the Islamic State was reportedly found on his phone.

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But our job as politicians is to ensure that the probability becomes as small as possible. And therefore, one must above all also pay attention to prevention.