'Risk of attacks...': Why Germany raised its security alert to 'high threat level'

Germany has upgraded its national security posture from an "abstract threat level" to a "high threat level" following an increase in intelligence reports pointing to potential attack plans, interior minister Alexander Dobrindt has said.In an interview with the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, published on Saturday, Dobrindt said the revised assessment reflected growing concerns over threats targeting the country."The increased volume of reports and intelligence has prompted me to classify the previously described abstract threat as a high threat," he said."This means that the risk of attacks must be reckoned with at all times in Germany," Dobrindt said, according to Reuters.He added that "plans for attacks against our country are clearly discernible" and warned that the threats were directed not only at Germany's infrastructure but also at individuals and institutions.Intelligence reform under considerationAccording to DW, the German Cabinet is scheduled to consider a wide-ranging reform of the country's intelligence laws…