Amri final report: There remain unanswered questions

How was the attacker Anis Amri able to carry out the attack on Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz in 2016? The responsible U-Committee sees, among other things, blatant government failure. And: the committee was unable to clarify all of the questions.

In the plenary hall, there were a number of people in the stands who experienced the terrorist attack themselves or who lost relatives in the process. The sympathy for them and for the victims was evident in the debate. Likewise, however, the anger of the MPs that several questions remained unanswered until the end: How could the assassin Anis Amri get the weapon with which he shot the driver of a truck and then drove the vehicle into the crowd at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz ? How did he escape, who helped him? And: why wasn’t it stopped earlier?

The educational work by the committee could perhaps help prevent something like this from happening again, said chairman Klaus-Dieter Gröhler, CDU, in whose constituency the attack happened: “Certainly our work and that of the two committees of inquiry in Berlin and in NRW has shown that the democratic and federal state is able to clear up mistakes, admit omissions, take responsibility and initiate corrections. ”

Opposition: Federal government blocked

The opposition parties have clearly and sharply criticized the lack of willingness on the part of the federal government and numerous authorities to provide information. Benjamin Strasser, chairman of the FDP in the committee, recalled the original promise of the chancellor and the interior minister to provide complete clarification: “What we did experience in the investigative committee on the part of the federal government, however, was an explanation with the handbrake on. Files that were massively blackened. Pages that were removed. Files that were delivered too late or not at all. Important witnesses such as the undercover agent of the Berlin Fussilet Mosque, who has been withheld from us to this day. This refusal of the federal government has led to us couldn’t turn over all the stones that we should have turned over. ”

Martina Renner from the Left Party called for more transparency for future committees of inquiry. That is what the next federal government must tackle: “The task will be to further improve the rights of victims here too. And we must strengthen the right to investigate committees in terms of law enforcement and transparency,” she said.

Is the case really closed?

Irene Mihalic from the Greens, who used to work as a police officer herself, pointed out the acute danger of a lack of awareness. The danger is that the people behind the assassin Anis Amri and possible connections to the Islamic State, IS, are still active today: “Amri was neither a lone perpetrator nor a petty criminal. He was part of a jihadist network with a direct line to IS. That also happened largely hidden. So that possible accomplices, supporters and maybe even accomplices could still be at large – that is a relevant danger. ”

The final report lists a large number of government failures and unclear responsibilities. Hazards are often recognized, but not always monitored closely enough – if only because of a lack of staff. Stefan Keuter from the AfD parliamentary group also criticized this: “We have found that hesitant action by federal and state authorities has favored this attack. We lack the political will to clarify this. who are not allowed to stay here to move out of the country. ”

SPD refers to the burden of the refugee crisis

Fritz Felgentreu from the SPD pointed out that many refugees came to Germany in 2015 and 2016. The German authorities have strongly demanded, so Felgentreu: The fact that there were terrorists among the hundreds of thousands looking for a better life was only recognized as an abstract danger. Anis Amri was observed by the secret service, but without any tangible consequences.

From this one learned, according to the SPD politician: “Many weaknesses that Amri exploited in order to remain protected from persecution have now been remedied. In the common anti-terrorism center, a greater commitment to cooperation has been achieved. A new” working group Risk management improves the ability to better assess impending danger. Even more important is the increase in staff in the area of ​​state security and the protection of the constitution. Both at the federal level and in the federal states. ”

The new Bundestag decides on the second U-Committee

The improvements made by the committee include new rules for protecting and compensating victims of terrorism. The committee members will see further files over the summer that were subsequently supplied by the protection of the constitution. The newly elected MPs have to decide whether a second committee of inquiry will be formed after the federal election.