Germany Could Have 7,000 Muslim Extremists By Year End

According to Hans-Georg Maassen- head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency (BfV)- Germany is home to some 6,300 Salafi radical Muslims. The ranks of Islamic extremists have jumped from 3,800 in 2011 to 4,500 in 2012. About 450 Germans are currently fighting for the Islamic State (aka ISIS) in Syria and Iraq. Authorities believe that by the end of 2014, the numbers could rise to 7,000 or so.

Speaking in late August in Berlin, Maassen said young Muslims are attracted to Islamic State (IS) because of its brutality. The militant group has become infamous for beheading captives amongst other things. The German domestic intelligence chief also says the group formally known as ISIS, seems to be “more authentic” than Al-Qaeda.

"There is a link between the successes IS has had so far in Iraq and the activities here in Germany and the propaganda and canvassing activities aimed at young jihadists," said Maassen, which was reported by Reuters. "The Islamic State is, so to speak, the 'in' thing - much more attractive than the Nusra Front, the al Qaeda spin-off in Syria."

"What attracts people is the intense brutality, the radicalism and rigor. That suggests to them that it is a more authentic organization even than al Qaeda," he said. "Al Qaeda fades besides the Islamic State when it comes to brutality," the BfV chief added.

According to Massen, it's the disenfranchised youth that are flocking to extremist groups because they go  “from being underdogs to top dogs.”  That's obvious. The bulk are German, with around 30 percent hailing from countries like Bosnia, Turkey, Morocco. A quarter are converts.

But there are actually 43,000 Islamists living in Germany. That means at any point those 43,000 could further radicalize and become a major threat.

Good luck, Germany.

More here.