Germany Downplays Terror Threat

[Folami David]

German security officials on Saturday sought to allay worries amid media reports of possible terrorist plans directed at public viewing areas where fans will gather to watch the all-German Champions League final.
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Spiegel Online had earlier reported that Germany's Federal Criminal Police (BKA) had informed state and federal officials that terrorist organisations may be planning to target such events.
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"Germany has stood in the cross hairs of international terrorism for a long time," said German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich in a statement.
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"At this time, there are no indications of plans to attack or targets within Germany."
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The match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund is the first time two German teams will have met at a European Champions League final.
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This year's game is being played in London, and hordes of German football fans were expected to gather in public spaces to watch the game on television.
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Friedrich said German security officials were in close contact with intelligence agencies from other European countries, just as they would be with any major event.
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Oliver Platzer, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry of the southern German state of Bavaria, in which Munich lies, said fans attending public viewing should not expect exceptional security controls.
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"There are no indications of any concrete dangers, not in Germany and certainly not in Bavaria," he said.
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Other key cities, like Dortmund and Berlin, were also not reporting plans for extra security.
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The Interior Ministry of the state of North Rhine- Westphalia said it had no reports of specific threats, noting only "abstract" reports.
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Broadcaster SWRinfo said the reports of a possible threat came from the Russian internal security service FSB. But it reported that authorities had no information on a specific time or place for any attack.
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Nor was it clear that any threat was specifically targeted at the Champions League events, it reported.