German Opposition Calls For Anti-Terror Consolidation

The German opposition Christian Democrats (CDU) have proposed that a new central authority be set up in Germany similar to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This office would be responsible for combating terrorism, CDU parliament member and security expert Clemens Binninger told the Bild newspaper. It would bundle the related jurisdictions currently held by 37 various national and state authorities. The battle against terrorism must be consolidated, he said. Meanwhile, the CDU's Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), has called for a territorial army similar to the U.S. National Guard, with battalions that can be quickly mobilized in the case of a terrorist threat, the paper said. According to a survey by Infratest dimap on behalf of German public television ARD, 60 percent of Germans believe there will be terror attacks on German soil in the near future. One year ago, this figure totaled 50 percent.