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Four passers-by died in a terrorist attack in Vienna, the city is in a state of emergency. Expert Guido Steinberg explains why these attacks are a constant threat. And also threaten Germany.
Numerous injured, at least four bystanders killed – this is the result of a terrorist attack with an Islamist background in the Austrian capital Vienna. One of the perpetrators is also dead, shot by the police. Security authorities determine if there are other parties involved.
The question arises of how the attack occurred. These attacks are difficult to prevent, explains Guido Steinberg in an interview on t-online. Paradoxically precisely because the police and security authorities have done their job well, explains the expert on terror and Islamism. From 2002 to 2005, Steinberg worked as a consultant in the Department of International Terrorism of the Federal Chancellery. Now he works for the Science and Politics Foundation. In an interview, he explains how great the danger of a jihadist attack in Germany is now.
t-online: How did this attack happen?
Guido Steinberg: After the attacks in Nice, Paris and Dresden, one thing is clear: we are currently experiencing a veritable wave of attacks. It is too early for an assessment because it is not clear if the perpetrator acted alone or had allies. But one thing is for sure: it is difficult to carry out such attacks, because someone prepared meticulously, but probably wanted to kill many more people.
Steinberg, terrorism expert: “We are currently experiencing a real wave of attacks.” (Source: private)
The attack occurred on the last night before exit restrictions in Vienna were applied again. What role could this have played on the spot?
I honestly doubt the impending shutdown was a reason the perpetrators attacked last night. To put it cynically, terrorists who want to hit and kill people often find a way, regardless of whether a city is closed or not.
Did the Austrian security authorities not adequately combat terrorism in recent years?
That is an exciting question! Austria is a country where large numbers of jihadist preachers have been arrested in recent years and some have been sentenced to long prison terms. But the Austrians’ successes mean the scene is harder to monitor: because now all the radicalization is moving onto the internet and in small groups. Great preachers are hardly found in Austria anymore, instead radicalization is happening online – through personal messages and videos.
The attack is an Islamist attack. The terrorist organization IS, which has long been considered a reservoir for Islamists, appears to have been largely defeated: are we dealing only with individual perpetrators?
Although many perpetrators feel confirmed in their convictions by the ideology of IS, the last few weeks have not been about IS attacks. The last major IS attack was in Manchester in 2017. We are currently experiencing a change in the Islamist terror scene: now there are individual perpetrators and very small groups in Europe.
Isn’t there a network of Islamist terrorists in Europe?
At least not an organized network. Because there is also a problem: the attackers hardly communicate with Syria, Libya and Afghanistan, where they could be eavesdropped, they are autonomous individual perpetrators. And there is currently a lot of unrest on the scene. That is why there are now also attacks.
What caused this discomfort?
It is not yet possible to say for sure. It is possible that it feeds on the Mohammed cartoons, which are now being discussed more strongly. However, I tend to believe that we are currently witnessing the propaganda of the terrorist act. Many potential perpetrators see attacks taking place in Paris, Nice or Dresden, and feel the possibility of being part of a movement.
Are the so-called “sleepers” of the horror scene waking up and realizing some kind of momentum?
That can be very good. Now the danger is very high that even more perpetrators want to attack.
How great is the danger of an imminent attack in Germany?
Germany has a very high number of jihadists in the country, the security services expect around 1,000 to 2,000 people. However, it must be said that the fight against terrorism has great problems for us. The federalism of the security architecture makes it difficult, we have almost 40 authorities that deal with the fight against terrorism. The weaknesses of the intelligence services in relation to the police are also manifested, which is not optimal for preventing attacks in our country.
So is it necessary to expand the security apparatus?
That is a possible solution. Second, you have to ask yourself if certain people really need to be in the countryside, as we saw in Nice and Paris. A hard line on immigration and migration policy will not prevent attacks entirely, but at least their numbers will be reduced. The Federal Republic is trying to reduce the problem by deporting many possible perpetrators, significantly more than in the past. But most threats simply cannot be monitored 24 hours a day.
Mr. Steinberg, thank you for speaking with us.
