A German opposition politician today called the government to support the work of the country's intelligence services, against the background of an alleged Russian plot to kill the head of the arms production company “Rheinmetal“, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
„It's about enabling intelligence agencies to provide better intelligence,” former member of the armed forces Roderich Kieseweter told German broadcaster Ce De Eff.
German agencies should be on a par with those in neighboring countries, Kiesewetter added, and warned of stricter legal provisions on communication between intelligence services, police and judicial authorities.
According to a CNN publication, US intelligence has discovered Russian plans to assassinate the CEO of “Rheinmetal“ Armin Paperger earlier this year.
Kieseweter of the center-right Christian Democratic Union said that serious measures would be needed to contain the Russian threat. “It is not enough to expel one or two diplomats from Russia,” he said.
The politician welcomed the recently announced decision to deploy American long-range missiles on German territory. “We need to make sure that we do not become politically or militarily susceptible to threats from Russia, and for that we need the corresponding rearmament,”, Kiesewetter said.
The politician said that this decision will require effective communication by the government, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, with the German public. “The chancellor needs to make it clear to the public how big the threat really is,”, he added.