Overview

• Hans-Georg Maassen, the former head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency, is now under scrutiny by the agency he once led for alleged right-wing extremism.
• Maassen was removed as the head of the agency in 2018 after appearing to downplay far-right violence against migrants.
• Since his removal, Maassen has become a vocal figure on the hard right and has announced plans to transform the conservative group he leads into a new political party.
• Maassen has also recently left the Christian Democratic Union, Germany's main opposition party, stating that it is now 'a variant of the socialist parties and not an alternative to them.'
• Maassen claims the government is 'clearly afraid' of him and his prospective new party, and asserts that the letter sent to his lawyer 'contains no substantiated evidence that justifies observation.'