According to German weekly Welt am Sonntag, the country's spy agency, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), has warned that Daesh are training terrorists to infiltrate into groups of asylum seekers migrating into Europe.
Welt am Sonntag claims that the BND suggests that Daesh are teaching terrorists on how to answer questions during border interrogations, to try and convince European officials that they are credible asylum seekers.
The story has wide-reaching ramifications.
An ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday, November 16, announced that Mrs. Merkel intends to run for a fourth term in the upcoming German elections.
Norbert Roettgen told reporters:
"She is absolutely determined, willing, and ready to contribute to strengthen the international liberal order. But we can't see the Chancellor or Germany as last man standing."
However, the suggestion that asylum seekers attempting to enter Germany may be used as cover for terrorists, has reignited the controversy over Chancellor Merkel's immigration policies.
@afneil the EU's next crisis will be a quarterly event for the next decade, or until Germany runs out of money or enthusiasm
— Stephen Harris (@Stephenh61) November 15, 2016
In September 2016, Merkel accepted responsibility for her Christian Democratic (CDU) party's "bitter defeat" in Berlin state elections.
In the summer of 2015, she made the decision to allow more than a million migrants into Germany, in an attempt to try and alleviate Europe's mass migration crisis.
What was intended as a humanitarian gesture — embodied in her phrase "wir schaffen das" (we can manage it) — has since caused the political fortunes of her party to sour.
The centre-right CDU was hit with its worst-ever result in Berlin: a 17.6% share of the vote.
"If I could, I would turn back time for many, many years, to prepare better," Merkel said.
The majority of asylum seekers and economic migrants entering Europe are not connected with Daesh, and yet, the rise in far-right nationalist movements have seen their opportunity.
Germany raids 10 states, bans Islamist group for inciting youth to join Daesh/ISIS. Too late, too little!
— Bimal Pr. Mohapatra (@bimal_pr) November 16, 2016
They've painted the migrant crisis as a challenge against European values of freedom of speech and equality for women.
In September's Berlin election, the right-wing, anti-migrant party Alternative for Germany (AfD), won 14% of the vote, entered the Berlin state parliament for the first time.
The AfD continue to stoke the fears of terrorism on European shores. However, it is true that European security services are struggling to cope with the increasing number of terror attacks happening on the continent.
In November, France marked the one year anniversary of the 13th November 2015 Paris attacks, in which Daesh militants killed 130 people.
On Tuesday, November 15, German police stepped up their fight to try and stop Daesh from committing further atrocities, in Germany.
In coordinated raids in ten of the country's 16 states, armed police stormed 200 apartments and offices belonging to organizers of a Salafist group, called "The True Religion." They allegedly support Daesh and help radicalize and recruit for the terror group.
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said "The True Religion" had persuaded around 140 people to join militants in Iraq and Syria.
@MaxAbrahms @pspoole Per capita #ISIS members came from the most liberal countries such as Belgium and Denmark, or Scandinavia/Germany
— Seth Frantzman (@sfrantzman) 16 November 2016
Germany continues to support the European Union's principle of freedom of movement around the bloc. However, the EU has recognized that it needs to do more to reassure members over border security.
In October 2016, it launched a new agency charged with the EU's border defense. It hopes that the European Border and Coast Guard will result in better security and monitoring of suspected criminals and terrorists, preventing them from being able to enter the EU in the first place.
