German law enforcement, in the wake of the attack on a synagogue in the city of Halle, has revealed having yet-to-be verified information on 43 right-wing extremists who can potentially orchestrate terror attacks, media reported on Tuesday, citing the head of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Munch.
According to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany has 12,700 neo-Nazis and other right-wing activists who have already committed violent crimes or have "belligerent attitudes". Forty-three of them are considered to be capable of committing extremist attacks, although the agency considers the number to be potentially even higher, Germany's Tagesspiegel newspaper reported.
"We must carefully review these data", Munch said.
He also compared these numbers with the data his office had on left-wing and Islamist extremists — 9,000 and 11,500 people, respectively — of which six leftist and 690 Muslim radicals are flagged as potential security risks.
Following the Halle shooting on 9 October, when the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur was being celebrated, German law enforcement promised to intensify efforts in combating right-wing extremism.
The German Federal Criminal Police Office plans to create a special bureau to deal with right-wing radicals, conduct more investigative work online and on social networks, and take measures against mass gatherings organised by the right-wing.
