Germany warns of terror threat, urges vigilance

BERLIN, June 22 (Reuters) German authorities called for increased vigilance today against possible terror attacks, saying the kind of threat detected before the Sept 11, 2001, attacks on the United States had resurfaced.

Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said the threat was ''serious'' and that suicide attacks were possible on German soil.

Interior Ministry State Secretary August Hanning added that the current situation recalled the summer of 2001 ''when obscure threats surfaced which as we know became reality.'' ''We are seeing evidence that some action is planned in (the Afghanistan and Pakistan region), but also further afield, in Europe and in the United States,'' Hanning said in Berlin.

''We are following up all leads and therefore I don't think there is any reason to panic, not at all,'' he added. ''But I do think that increased vigilance is needed.'' Interior Ministry spokesman Christian Sachs said earlier there was new evidence to suggest terrorist training groups in Afghanistan had become stronger and were ready for action.

People from Europe, including Germany, were part of them, he added.

German state broadcaster ZDF reported earlier the government had evidence 10 to 12 people from Germany had joined militant training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Three of them, including two people considered dangerous, were arrested in Pakistan as they attempted to travel back to Germany, ZDF said, without identifying the source of its information or giving more details.

''We have indications that people who have lived in Germany and who have roots in Germany -- some of whom hold German citizenship -- are in Pakistan spending time at training camps,'' Hanning said.

''We also have indications that arrests were made of people who we Germans view as dangerous,'' he said. ''This indeed concerns us.'' ZDF also reported US broadcaster ABC had obtained a copy of a video which contained threats targeted at Germany. Around 3,000 German troops are serving in Afghanistan as part of a NATO peacekeeping force.

Schaeuble said today the video was not new ''in qualitative terms''.

German government spokesman Thomas Steg said there was no concrete danger and people should act normally.

REUTERS SKB KP1838