The capture of three al-Qaida suspects in Düsseldorf last week has sparked a political clash over Germany’s anti-terror laws. While Germany’s interior minister aims to extend post-9/11 laws, other’s in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government are seeking to block the move. German commentators are divided on the issue.

The detention of three terror suspects on Friday has fuelled the oft-contentious German debate on national security versus privacy rights. Relief over the dismantling of the “Düsseldorf Cell” — thought to be members of al-Qaida — prompted German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich to press for the extension of anti-terror laws, due to expire at the end of the year.