27 October 2025
German intelligence chief warns of increasing spying on historic anniversary
Germany’s domestic intelligence chief Sinan Selen has described espionage and sabotage as one of the biggest current threats facing the country, according to comments published by German news agency dpa.
Selen said the security situation has changed and intensified over the past decade, requiring greater attention and priority from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV).
The Cologne-based agency is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a ceremony at Germany’s Interior Ministry in Berlin on Monday.
Selen said the agency’s main concerns include multipolar threats, espionage, subversion, cyberattacks, international terrorism and violent extremism. He said prompt identification of the networks, activities and key people behind them would be essential.
Founded in 1950 amid Cold War tensions, the BfV was established to protect Germany’s democratic system and was deliberately barred from having police powers due to historical concerns. The agency continues to cooperate with police through the Joint Counterterrorism and Extremism Center in Berlin.
Reflecting on past failures, Selen acknowledged that the agency’s history included controversies such as the destruction of files related to the neo-Nazi NSU murders in 2011, which led to the resignation of then-President Heinz Fromm.
He also addressed the agency’s current monitoring of political parties, noting that tensions continued with the socialist Left party, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) facing the most scrutiny. The BfV classified the AfD as a “confirmed right-wing extremist organization” in May, but the designation was suspended pending a court decision after the party filed a legal challenge.