Germany’s domestic intelligence agency on Friday designated the far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, as an “extremist endeavor,” a move that lowers hurdles for the spy agency in conducting certain kinds of surveillance on the party, the second-largest in Germany’s parliament.
In a statement, the intelligence agency said the designation was “due to the extremist nature of the entire party, which disregards human dignity.” The statement cited the group’s anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant orientation. The reclassification — AfD was previously designated a “suspected” extremist group — is likely to reignite debate over potentially banning the party via Germany’s Constitutional Court.
Read more…
Source: MSN News
Sign up for our Newsletter
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox.
Related:
- Germany recalls envoy to Russia over cyberattack
May 6, 2024
The German ambassador to Russia was recalled for consultations on Monday after Berlin accused Moscow of carrying out cyberattacks. A newly concluded government investigation found the cyberattack had been carried out by a group — linked to Moscow’s GRU military intelligence agency — known as APT28. The group, also known as Fancy Bear, has been accused ...
- Digitalisation, Efficiency, Innovation: AUTOMA 2024 Tackles Key Challenges in Oil & Gas
April 18, 2024
The Oil and Gas Automation and Digitalisation Congress (AUTOMA 2024) is held in Düsseldorf, Germany on 14-15 October 2024. The Congress assembles leading companies from the oil and gas industry to explore the latest trends in automating and digitising processes, shaping the future of the whole value chain. The Oil and Gas Automation and Digitalisation Congress ...
- APT29 Uses WINELOADER to Target German Political Parties
March 22, 2024
In late February 2024, Mandiant identified APT29 — a Russian Federation backed threat group linked by multiple governments to Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) — conducting a phishing campaign targeting German political parties. Consistent with APT29 operations extending back to 2021, this operation leveraged APT29’s mainstay first-stage payload ROOTSAW (aka EnvyScout) to deliver a new backdoor ...
- Germany: Use of non-secure line behind Taurus talk leak to Russia
March 5, 2024
The Ministry of Defence blamed an unnamed individual’s improper use of a “non-secure data line” for the recent leak of a German army conversation about the Taurus weapon system to Russia. The mistake was made by the participant who took part in the conversation from Singapore and had dialled in via a “non-secure data line” such ...
- Lockbit cybercrime gang says it is back online following global police bust
February 26, 2024
Lockbit, the cybercrime gang that was knocked offline by a comprehensive international police operation earlier this month, says it has restored its servers and is back in business. The group, notorious on the internet’s criminal underground for using malicious software called ransomware to digitally extort its victims, was the target of an unprecedented international law enforcement ...
- Law enforcement disrupt world’s biggest ransomware operation
February 20, 2024
In a significant breakthrough in the fight against cybercrime, law enforcement from 10 countries have disrupted the criminal operation of the LockBit ransomware group at every level, severely damaging their capability and credibility. LockBit is widely recognised as the world’s most prolific and harmful ransomware, causing billions of euros worth of damage. This international sweep follows ...

