BERLIN, September 26 (RIA Novosti) - Germany banned flights over the annual Oktoberfest beer festival on Saturday after threats by Islamic militants angry at the country's military presence in Afghanistan.

"Given the current security situation, we view a flight ban as necessary," Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said.

Video messages from a number of radical Islamic groups have been released in recent weeks in the lead up to Sunday's national elections. A Taliban video released on Friday included images of Oktoberfest alongside threats of attacks on Germany.

A bomb attack carried out by a right-wing extremist at the 1980 Oktoberfest festival killed 13 people.

The event, expected to attract up to six million people, began on September 19 and finishes on October 4.