German police and soldiers from the Bundeswehr on Thursday prepared to embark on a large-scale anti-terrorism drill in the South-Western state of Baden-Wuerttemberg just days after the attempted massacre in a synagogue in the city of Halle.
According to the Baden-Wuerttemberg Interior Ministry, With 2,500 officers taking part, the exercise tagged ` `BWTEX“ is the largest exercise of its kind ever conducted in Germany.
The aim of the exercise was to simulate an attack of several perpetrators in a busy pedestrian zone in the city of Konstanz on the shores of Lake Constance.
Baden-Wuerttemberg Interior Minister, Thomas Strobl, said in the face of the continuing terrorist threat, the security authorities must be prepared for the worst.
“Anyone who has responsibility for security in this country must also think the unthinkable, and be prepared for such a situation. Which I hope will never happen, in the best possible way,“he said.
Ahead of the drill, the police and the Bundeswehr put on a public showcase in the small nearby town of Stetten am kalten Markt.
According to the ministry spokesman, visitors were able to climb into armoured vehicles and observe helicopters, among other things.
On Friday, a theoretical exercise is expected to take place behind closed doors, to be followed by a full practical exercise scheduled to take place on the military training ground in Stetten.
A 27-year-old extremist tried to force his way into a packed synagogue in the Eastern German city of Halle on
Oct. 9, in Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Meanwhile, he shot and killed two people after a failed attempt.
dpa/NAN
