Islamist suspects detained

Munich Police President Wilhelm Schmidbauer said on Monday they would hold the suspects, who had not committed any offences but were taken into custody as a preventive measure, until the end of the Oktoberfest beer festival next Sunday, October 4.

Police said the suspects originated from Arab countries, had lived in Munich for many years and were believed to have been in contact with al Qaeda members.

There are no concrete indications of an impending attack in Germany, but Munich police on Monday further reinforced security at the Oktoberfest, which attracts millions of visitors to the Bavarian capital. Authorities have already banned planes from flying over the festival grounds.

Security cordon surrounds beer festival

Security has been tight in Germany after several Islamist videos published on the internet threatened attacks throughout the country, including the popular Oktoberfest festival, should Germany not withdraw its troops from the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats and the Free Democrats (FDP), who on Monday began talks on forming a centre-right coalition government, support the German mission in Afghanistan, but are keen on setting a timetable for the withdrawal of German troops.


db/REUTERS/dpa/AP
Editor: Andreas Illmer