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German Interior Minister Proposes Heightened Security Measures


Germany's interior minister is proposing stripping dual nationals who fight for extremist groups abroad of their German citizenship, and wants to make it easier to deport foreigners deemed to be dangerous.

Thomas de Maiziere presented the new security proposals on August 11 as Berlin seeks to allay public concerns following two attacks in the country last month that were claimed by the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization.

De Maiziere also said authorities were examining what further staff are needed for federal police and the domestic intelligence agency beyond reinforcements previously agreed upon.

AP reports that Germany is also considering joining other countries in screening the public social media profiles of people being admitted to the country under humanitarian resettlement programs.

In late July, IS claimed two attacks -- on a train near Wuerzburg and on a music festival in Ansbach -- in which asylum seekers wounded 20 people in total.

In addition, security forces had to respond to an attack in a shopping center in the city of Munich in which nine people were killed by an 18-year-old German-Iranian who had been in psychiatric treatment and was obsessed with mass killings.

Based on reporting by AP and dpa

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