Germany’s domestic intelligence agency to get new chief

Germany’s domestic intelligence service is set to be led by Sinan Selen, long-time deputy president at the agency, dpa learnt from sources in the governing coalition on Monday.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt is set to propose Selen to the Cabinet on Wednesday, which is expected to back the nomination.

The top job at the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), as the agency is officially known, has been vacant since November last year.

Since then, Selen, 53, has led the agency alongside fellow deputy president Silke Willems in a caretaker capacity.

Selen is set to become the first person not born in Germany to lead the domestic spy agency. He was born in Turkey and emigrated to Germany with his family at a young age.

The Cologne-based BfV is responsible for protecting Germany’s democratic order. Employees are tasked with monitoring potential extremist and terrorist threats, ranging from far-right to far-left extremism to Islamist terrorism and cyber crime.

Earlier this year, the agency made headlines when upgrading its assessment of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right, anti-immigrant party that is the biggest opposition force in parliament, from suspected to confirmed right-wing extremist over what it described as anti-constitutional and xenophobic efforts.

The classification, which would expand the BfV’s powers to monitor the party’s activities, has been suspended pending the outcome of legal action taken by the AfD.