GERMANS TAKING TERROR REPORTS VERY SERIOUSLY – AT 7:54 A.M. ET:  As the holiday season approaches, we must be expecially vigilant about terror.  Remember last year's Christmas Day bomber?

Apparently, Germany is taking terror warnings very seriously.  From Fox News:

BERLIN—Germany is bracing for possible terrorist attacks amid growing signs that Islamic extremists are preparing at least one assault somewhere in the country in the coming weeks, possibly in the capital, Berlin.

Authorities in Berlin are racing to track two suspected suicide bombers believed to be planning to strike a prominent location, according to a person familiar with the investigation. Police are combing through travel and visa records and scrutinizing arrivals from the Mideast and South Asia as they hunt the pair, this person said.

Meanwhile, a second group of terrorists, is reported to be planning to travel to Germany in the coming weeks to launch a small-arms attack on one or more urban centers in the next three months, according to an official familiar with the matter.

The threats have unnerved many Germans after government officials played down similar warnings from U.S. intelligence in recent months. Concerns of an imminent attack prompted a rare public warning Wednesday by Germany's interior ministry that terrorists plan to strike one or more crowded public locations in major German cities by the end of this month.

The warnings have put a damper on planned holiday festivities. Cities across Germany have begun opening their traditional Christmas markets, but many citizens are worried the fairs offer terrorists key targets.

COMMENT:  This dovetails well with the report we published yesterday that Al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula boasts that it's planning a series of small attacks, instead of one large one, the better to bleed its enemies over time.

German authorities clearly regard the terror threats as extremely credible.  It is very difficult to stop a small group of terrorists, if they are successful in entering the country, unless you know exactly where and when they plan to strike.  The Germans apparently have only a small piece of the puzzle.

November 22, 2010