Germany news: Minister warns of high terror threat

Skip next section Wildfire spreads across national park July 18, 2026

Wildfire spreads across national park

A wildfire has spread across around 388 hectares (nearly 1,000 acres) of Müritz National Park in northeastern Germany as dry and windy conditions hamper efforts to contain the blaze.

Around 370 firefighters, police officers, forestry workers and soldiers are said to now be involved in the operation, a spokesperson for the district said.

The fire has continued to expand because no rain has fallen, while westerly winds were fanning the flames.

Officials expect the blaze could spread further east and southeast over the weekend if the wind persists.

The fire was first reported on Monday and has prompted the repeated evacuation of nearby villages.

Efforts to tackle the blaze are particularly difficult because part of the affected area was once used as a military training ground and may contain unexploded ammunition.

German military helicopters are due to resume supporting the operation by the afternoon, provided thunderstorms do not prevent them from flying.

Fire crews are concentrating on the eastern section of the blaze because the area is not believed to be littered with ammunition and can therefore be entered safely.

Emergency personnel are being rotated regularly, while forestry workers are helping to keep access routes clear.

Visitors have been urged to continue avoiding the wider area.

https://p.dw.com/p/5HMQ3

Skip next section WATCH: Why Germany struggles to recruit more women soldiers July 18, 2026

WATCH: Why Germany struggles to recruit more women soldiers

Marie Joslyn

As Germany expands its military to meet NATO commitments, attracting more women remains a challenge. Concerns range from military culture to family life and representation.

Why Germany struggles to recruit women soldiers

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Skip next section Lahm says German football has fallen behind July 18, 2026

Lahm says German football has fallen behind

Germany has spent a decade falling behind international football because it has failed to adapt to modern developments, former World Cup-winning captain Philipp Lahm has said.

"We have been playing catch-up for 10 years because we are not adapting to current developments and are instead pursuing our own paths, most recently with the return of man-marking in the Bundesliga," Lahm wrote in a guest article for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

"If we continue doing that, we will continue to fail."

The former Bayern Munich defender criticized Germany's approach to coaching and talent development, as well as a lack of the continuity he said defines successful teams.

Lahm also accused former Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann of experimenting too often with formations and player positions.

"Players are frequently used in a wide variety of, and often incorrect, positions, and the system is changed too often," he wrote.

"There are too many experiments."

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Skip next section High-speed train hits flock of sheep July 18, 2026

High-speed train hits flock of sheep

Police say an intercity high-speed train struck a flock of sheep on the railway line between the cities of Offenbach and Hanau in the central German state of Hesse.

The driver carried out an emergency stop after the train hit the animals on Friday, a federal police spokesperson said.

Between 10 and 15 sheep were killed in the collision.

Around 120 passengers were on board the train, but none were injured.

Police are investigating how the flock, which is believed to have escaped, reached the tracks.

Emergency workers were meanwhile removing the dead animals from the railway line.

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Skip next section Ten injured in A5 crash near French border July 18, 2026

Ten injured in A5 crash near French border

Ten people have been injured in a collision involving two cars and a coach on the rain-soaked A5 motorway near Germany's border with France.

Police said a car probably lost control because of aquaplaning on Friday evening near the town of Appenweier about 20 kilometers (about 12.5 miles) northeast of the eastern French city of Strasbourg.

The vehicle struck another car, the guardrail and then the coach.

Ten of the coach's 12 passengers suffered minor injuries, with five taken to hospital for treatment. Both car drivers were unhurt.

Traffic was temporarily diverted along the motorway's emergency lane, causing a tailback stretching several kilometers.

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Skip next section Rail worker critically injured after falling from train July 18, 2026

Rail worker critically injured after falling from train

A railway security employee has suffered life-threatening injuries after falling from a moving train during a violent confrontation with a passenger in southwestern Germany.

The incident occurred on Friday evening on a train travelling between Offenburg and Karlsruhe, police and prosecutors say.

Ticket inspectors had been checking a 36-year-old German passenger when a verbal dispute broke out. Two security employees were called to intervene after the passenger, who was reportedly intoxicated, allegedly insulted them.

A physical struggle then erupted between the passenger and one of the security workers.

"During the scuffle, both individuals fell to the floor. At that point, for reasons yet to be determined, the door of the moving train opened," authorities said. It was at this point, they said, that the conductor fell out of the train.

Emergency services launched an extensive search along the railway line after being alerted.

The employee, a 26-year-old Bulgarian national, was found beside the tracks around two kilometers (about 1.25 miles) from where the train eventually stopped. He was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Police provisionally arrested the suspected attacker while he was still on board the train.

Deutsche Bahn employees have repeatedly been targeted in violent attacks. In February, the death of a train attendant following an assault by a passenger without a valid ticket in western Rhineland-Palatinate caused widespread shock across Germany.

Germany: Front-line workers face growing abuse, violence

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Skip next section Dobrindt warns of heightened attack risk in Germany July 18, 2026

Dobrindt warns of heightened attack risk in Germany

Germany's interior minister has warned of a heightened security threat, saying attacks could be imminent.

"The increased volume of reports and intelligence has prompted me to classify the previously described abstract threat as a high threat," Alexander Dobrindt told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

"That means Germany must expect the risk of attacks at any time," the conservative politician said.

Dobrindt, a member of the Christian Social Union (CSU) — the Bavarian sister party to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU) — said recognizable attack plans were directed not only at German infrastructure, but also at individuals and institutions.

The Cabinet is due to consider a sweeping reform of Germany's intelligence laws on August 13.

The changes would explicitly allow intelligence agencies to intervene directly in certain dangerous situations instead of limiting their role to collecting and assessing information.

"My goal is to develop the intelligence services into genuine secret services so that we remain competitive and capable of working as partners with friendly services abroad," Dobrindt said.

In an acute terrorism scenario, the expanded powers could allow domestic intelligence officers to enter and search homes when police are unable to arrive in time.

The minister stressed that the separation between intelligence agencies and the police would remain in place.

"Arresting people remains the responsibility of the police," Dobrindt said.

In the shadow of RAF terror: The children left behind

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Skip next section Welcome to our coverage July 18, 2026

Welcome to our coverage

Guten morgen from the DW newsroom in Bonn.

You join us as Germany’s interior minister warns that the country faces a heightened security threat.

Alexander Dobrindt said an increase in intelligence reports had led him to consider the previous "abstract" threat as a high threat.

In other news, a railway security guard was been critically injured after falling from a moving train in south-western Germany after a dispute.

Stay with us for these stories and more of the latest things that Germany is talking about today.

https://p.dw.com/p/5HLY4

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