FILE -Bodyguards take away a man who allegedly carried out an attack with red paint at an election campaign event organized by the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) on Cathedral Square, in Erfurt, Germany, Aug. 29, 2024. (Martin Schutt/dpa via AP, File)
September 24, 2024 - 1:27 AM
BERLIN (AP) — A German police office that provides security for leading politicians says it plans to increase the number of bodyguards significantly over the coming years, citing growing dangers at home and abroad as the next national election nears.
The head of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Münch, said in comments to the RND newspaper group published Tuesday that his office currently has more than 500 bodyguards. He was quoted as saying that it plans to add 100 next year and another 100 after that.
“This has to do not just with growing dangers at home but also abroad, for example with the Ukraine or Gaza wars,” Münch said.
His office is responsible for the protection of politicians including President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, federal government ministers and leading lawmakers in the German parliament.
The national election is scheduled for Sept. 28 next year. German politics are in a disgruntled and volatile state, with Scholz leading an unpopular three-party coalition government that has become notorious for infighting and the far-right Alternative for Germany party polling strongly.
Scholz plans to seek a second term. He faces a challenge from mainstream conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz, whose Union bloc leads in national polls.
News from © The Associated Press, 2024