Düsseldorf/Berlin (dpa/lnw) – According to the federal police union, the security authorities acted immediately after three employees at the airport in Düsseldorf became aware of a typical IS gesture. “The authorities reacted immediately and there was no tolerance,” said the deputy federal chairman of the DPolG federal police union, Manuel Ostermann, on Friday of the dpa. This is a completely unacceptable process, regardless of whether it was meant as a bad joke or whether there are extremist aspirations behind it, he emphasized.
Such an incident creates uncertainty. “Of course, this leads to stomach pains for travelers, but German airports are safe,” emphasized Ostermann. But he also referred to the tense situation at the airports. Against the background of a growing extremist threat situation, one must remain constantly vigilant. According to Ostermann, it is therefore important to constantly monitor security procedures and keep them up to date. This also applies to the background check, which is carried out before starting work in the airport security area.
The “Bild” newspaper reported on the case on Friday. A photo on social media shows three men in overalls standing on the tarmac and symbolically pointing their index fingers up – a gesture typical of the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS).
According to their own statements, the Düsseldorf police found two of the three men at home and made a so-called threat speech. This should also be done with the third after his return from vacation. The Düsseldorf public prosecutor’s office is not investigating the case, a spokesman for dpa said on Friday. Pointing a finger is not a criminal offence.
