Security threat ‘very high’ from German far right

BERLIN: German interior minister Horst Seehofer said Friday that the police presence would be increased across the country to counter the "very high" security threat from the far-right, after a gunman killed nine people in a racist attack late Wednesday.

"The security threat from right-wing extremism, anti-semitism and racism is very high," Seehofer said at a press conference in Berlin. He also announced an "increased police presence" and "increased surveillance" at mosques, train stations, airports and borders. Right-wing extremism, Seehofer said, was the "biggest security threat facing Germany", and one which had left "a trail of blood" behind it in recent months.

Germany has already taken several measures to combat right-wing extremism after a string of violent incidents over the last year. Last June, pro-migrant politician Walter Luebcke was murdered, while October brought an attack on a synagogue in the eastern city of Halle. Suspects in both cases have ties to the far-right scene.

Seehofer said he was not calling for more police officers or further laws, but rather "a greater use of the options already available to us". Sitting to his right, Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht said.