BERLIN – The release of a third Al Qaeda video message in German this week shows that Germany must remain on alert before weekend parliamentary elections, officials said.
Authorities are analyzing the third message, which was released Thursday and calls on Muslims in Germany to take part in jihad, or holy war, German Interior Ministry spokesman Stefan Paris told reporters.
German officials, however, denied that the video put the nation in any further danger.
"We are taking this seriously," Paris said, but added that the still image with an audio message was not seen as increasing the existing terror threat.
In the message a masked person presumed to be Bekkay Harrach, who uses the pseudonym Abu Talha, speaks about piety and service to Allah.
German authorities and international intelligence groups said they believe all three German-language videos were made by Harrach, a German of Moroccan background believed to have lived for years in Bonn. Authorities say he could now be in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area.
The person in the third video says the best way for a "sinful Muslim seeking redemption ... is participation in jihad," according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which analyzed the video. No specific threats were mentioned.
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