German military intelligence has exposed 20 Islamists in its military ranks, with 60 others being investigated.
The German government will impose increased security checks on everyone applying to join the military starting next June. The measure follows indications that Islamist extremists have joined the military to gain training they could later apply to carry out attacks.
A spokesman for the military counterespionage service (MAD) said Saturday 60 individuals are under investigation for having Islamist ties, in addition to the 20 exposed cases.
The spokesman further said recruiting offices have received an undisclosed number of applications from people wanting to join for just a few months.
MAD warned about the problem in August when it was reported 64 suspected Islamists, 268 suspected right-wing extremists and six left-wing extremists were under investigation. (RELATED: German Military May Be Infiltrated By Dozens Of Islamist Extremists)
German law currently only allows security checks after recruits have joined the military. A draft law proposing 20,000 additional security checks per year will be considered by the German parliament in coming weeks, according to Deutsche Welle.
The bill refers to incidents where Islamist organizations have urged sympathizers in foreign military forces to attack their colleagues.
Germany has suffered a number of terrorist attacks in recent months, including a stabbing of a young couple Oct. 30 in Hamburg.
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