GSG 9, SEK, BFE+ | German Police Special Units

German Police Special Units Tribute Grenzschutzgruppe 9 der Bundespolizei (Border Protection Group 9 of the Federal Police), commonly abbreviated GSG 9, is a German counter-terrorism, hostage rescue and special operations police unit. GSG 9 is deployed in cases of hostage-taking, kidnapping, terrorism and extortion. The group may also be used to secure locations, neutralize targets, track down fugitives and sometimes conduct sniper operations. The unit is very active in developing and testing methods and tactics for these missions. Finally, the group may provide advice to the different Länder, ministries and international allies. The group assists the Bundespolizei and other federal and local agencies on request. At the time of the 1977 Mogadishu mission, the Commander of the Israeli Border Police Tzvi War described GSG 9 as "The best anti-terrorist group in the world." Special Deployment Commandos, German: Spezialeinsatzkommandos (SEK) (previously Sondereinsatzkommando which has the same meaning), are the specialized operation armed response units of the German state police forces. The organization of special police forces varies from state to state. Whilst most states have created one Special Deployment Commando which is based in their capital city. Others have more than one. North Rhine-Westphalia Police or Rheinland-Pfalz State Police have established Special Deployment Commandos in other major cities as needed. The Bavarian State Police and Hessen State Police both have two Special Deployment Commandos. The BFE+ der Bundespolizei (BFE+ of the Federal Police) is a German special unit of the Beweissicherungs- und Festnahmeeinheit (Perpetuation of evidence and arrest unit) of the German Federal Police, established in summer 2015 as a reaction on the terrorist attacks in Paris 2015.[1] On the 16th of December 2015, it was presented to the public by the German Minister of the Interior, Thomas de Maizière.