Germany weighs heightened security for mosques

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - German government is weighing heightened security for mosques after New Zealand attacks, interior minister said on Monday.

“Religious sites can also become targets for terrorists. If there is any hint of danger, we will strengthen their protection,” Horst Seehofer said in an interview with Bild daily.

He said local authorities were in contact with religious communities for the protection of their places of worship.

“For the federal government, freedom of worship is a key concern,” he stressed.

“It is important to act decisively and use the full rigour of the law against Islamophobic crimes and attacks against mosques,” he added.

Germany, a country of over 81 million people, has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France. Among the country’s nearly 4.7 million Muslims, 3 million are of Turkish origin.