Terror threat at Carnival: NRW Interior Minister Reul calls for celebrations anyway

North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) has appealed to people to celebrate Carnival despite the abstractly high risk of attacks.

"We will protect the carnival days with a lot of forces: around 9,900 police officers will be on duty on Women's Carnival in North Rhine-Westphalia and around 12,000 on Rose Monday," the CDU politician told RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND). "But it is also clear that the police cannot be everywhere." Reul added: "Nevertheless, my appeal to everyone is: go out, celebrate Carnival and enjoy the crazy days! We must not let these guys ruin our way of life."

According to the Interior Minister, the police have prepared "intensively" for the operation. "The security situation around Carnival presents us with challenges - year after year. The police are preparing intensively for the Carnival operation," the minister continued.

“Of course, our security authorities are also keeping an eye on current developments – especially because of the high abstract risk posed by attacks.”