[Al Arabiya Latest] "Maybe the terrorists should come down and have a drink with us," suggested Bob Kalman, as he enjoyed a beer in one of the huge tents at Germany's world-famous Oktoberfest in Munich this week."It might solve a few of the world's problems if people got talking," the 30-year-old marketing manager originally from the Scottish city of Glasgow, now looking very German in his lederhosen, said.
At Oktoberfest, which every year attracts around six million visitors from all over the world, armed police were searching people as they came in, and cars were banned from parking nearby.
Private security guards were also searching people's bags as they entered the festival's immense tents, and once inside there was a visible security presence. There were also a large number of surveillance cameras.
A string of threats against Germany by Islamist militants in the run-up to last Sunday's general election has prompted security to be stepped up around the country, including at Oktoberfest in the Bavarian capital.