German Intelligence Chief Warns about Growing Number of Salafi Muslims in His Country

LOS ANGELES TIMES: The number of Salafi Muslims in Germany, adherents of an ultra-conservative school of thought within Sunni Islam, has been growing rapidly and is boosting the ranks of jihadist recruits, the country’s intelligence chief said Wednesday.

Hans-Georg Maassen, president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, said that there are 9,200 Salafis in Germany, up from 8,900 in June and about 5,500 three years ago. His remarks came a day after three young Syrian militants posing as refugees were arrested on suspicion of planning terror attacks.

Salafis, who the German government says want to overturn democracy and install a system based on Islamic law, make up only a small proportion of Germany’s total Muslim population of more than 4 million. But, security officials say, they join jihadist groups at a much higher rate than others.

“The unchecked growth in the number of Salafis is expanding the pool of recruits for jihadists,” Maassen said. » | Erik Kirschbaum | Reporting from Berlin | Wednesday, September 14, 2016