Germany sees jump in Islamic extremists

Intelligence head says about 1,000 people in the country are of serious concern

11 June 2013, 4:24 pm

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BERLIN (AP) — German authorities say there has been a jump in the number of Islamic extremists including hundreds who may be prepared to carry out violent attacks in the country.

Germany’s interior ministry says the number of Salafis rose to 4,500 last year from 3,800 in 2011.

Including other forms of extremist Islamic ideology, there are about 42,550 people on the radar of Germany’s security services.

Hans-Georg Maassen, the head of Germany’s domestic intelligence service, says about 1,000 people are of serious concern to authorities and 130 are under round-the-clock surveillance.

Maassen told reporters in Berlin on Tuesday that about 60 people have traveled from Germany to Syria this year to join jihadi groups seeking to topple President Bashar Assad.