Germany's Islamist scene in numbers

More than 43,000 people are considered part of Germany's Islamist scene, according to estimates from the country's domestic intelligence agency issued towards the end of 2016. The number has been steadily rising over the past few years.

There has been a particularly sharp increase in the number of Salafists, an ultra-conservative reform movement within Sunni Islam. About 8,650 people are considered part of the country's Salafist movement.

Among the Islamists in Germany, roughly 11,000 people are considered to have "terrorist tendencies," according to the domestic intelligence agency and other security agencies. Of these, 548 are thought to be capable and willing to commit a terrorist act.

More than half of those 548 are thought to be currently in Germany, with 80 of them in detainment. There are another 360 "relevant persons," who are considered to be willing to logistically aid or support a politically motivated crime of serious importance.

More than 800 radical Islamists have travelled from Germany to combat zones in Syria and Iraq, where many have joined the Islamic State terrorist group. About a third have since returned. Seventy of them gained experience in combat while abroad.    (dpa)

Related articles on Qantara.de:

Islamism in Germany: Jihad in the schoolyard

Merkel says Islamist terrorism is biggest test for Germany

Interview with the Algerian Writer Boualem Sansal: "Take Islam back from the Islamists!"