German and Austrian ministers break off planned Syria trip because of possible threat

Three months after the fall of dictator Assad, Syria is fighting for reconstruction – and for help from the West. In an exclusive interview, the Health Minister gives insights into the challenges and firmly rejects the fundamentalism accusation.

German and Austrian Interior Ministers Cancel Planned Visit to Syria Over Terror Threat - The Syrian Observer

A planned joint visit to Syria by German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and her Austrian counterpart Gerhard Karner was abruptly cancelled on Thursday due to credible warnings of a potential terrorist threat, German newspaper Bild reported. The ministers, along with their accompanying delegations, were scheduled to travel from Amman, Jordan, to Damascus early Thursday morning. However, German security services issued specific alerts warning of a…

Because security authorities warn of an assassination, the Interior Minister and her Austrian counterpart do not fly to Damascus. This could also have consequences for the asylum debate in Germany.

The Bundeswehr plane was already on the runway at the airport in the Jordanian capital Amman when an intelligence report reached the bodyguards that a terrorist attack was being prepared against a foreign delegation in Damascus. The Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner was also on board. The government security commando (BKA Sicherungsgruppe) decided to abort the takeoff.

German, Austrian ministers axe Syria trip due to possible threat

Germany and Austria’s interior ministers have cancelled a planned Syria trip due to potential security threats.

The German government announced on Thursday the cancellation of a visit to Syria by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and her Austrian counterpart, Gerhard Karner, due to reports of a "potential terrorist attack."