As far right party surges, Germany’s intelligence agency warns of growing extremism

By FRANK JORDANS
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — The head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency is warning of a growing threat of extremism, particularly from the far right, with the number of politically motivated crimes carried out by extremists reaching a record high last year. His comments on Tuesday come as polls show growing support for the far-right Alternative for Germany party  in recent weeks. The party has come under scrutiny from the domestic intelligence agency for its links to extremists and also its ties to Russia. Domestic intelligence chief Thomas Haldenwang said that “it is certainly in the interest of Russian policy to drive a wedge into Western societies.”