Former German Spy Chief Under Scrutiny for Alleged Extremism

Hans-Georg Maassen, once responsible for combating extremism, now faces scrutiny from his former agency amid plans to form a new political party.

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.'