Islamist Video Threat
November 20, 2007
In the video received by the Austrian broadcasting corporation ORF on Tuesday, Nov. 20, a group calling itself the Global Islamic Media Front indirectly threatened attacks in Germany and Austria if the two states do not pull their troops from Afghanistan.
It also demanded that Austria release two Islamists held in detention there.
Austrian Interior Ministry spokesperson Rudolf Gollia said the roughly four-minute-long video was predominantly focused on Germany and that Austria was mentioned toward the end.
"The German soldiers still occupy Afghanistan and we repeat our call from the last video that Germany withdraw its troops from Afghanistan," the video's German subtitles say. "This only serves your own security in your country.
"The same applies to Austria too. The Mujahideen have spared you so far, therefore the number of dead soldiers is not particularly high. But this will now change..."
Germany has some 3,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of the ISAF mission. Three Austrian soldiers serve as part of ISAF in Kabul.
No immediate threat
"There is no identifiable, immediate threat, but nevertheless such a message needs to be taken seriously," the ministry's Rudolf Gollia said. Austria has not raised security levels for government members depicted in the video.
The video, among other things, glorifies the terrorist attacks on the United States of Sept. 11, 2001, and announces a winter offensive of the Taliban in Afghanistan, he said.
Gollia said the video also mentions the arrest of two alleged Islamic militants in September in Vienna over another Online threat, calling their detention a "mistake."
Schäuble said although Germany was taking the threat seriously, it did not require a reappraisal of the general security situation by the government.
ORF said it planned to air the video Tuesday evening. In an online report, ORF also said the Austrian Interior Ministry had admitted to having received a copy of the video "a few days ago" and that it was "working closely" with Germany's Federal Office of Criminal Investigation.