Verfassungsschutz report: nearly 59,000 extremist crimes, right-wing threat largest as youth targeted online

Overall threat picture

Some 59,000 politically motivated crimes with extremist backgrounds were registered in Germany in 2025, roughly 1,100 more than the previous year; violent acts climbed around 10 percent to nearly 3,300. Presenting the report in Berlin, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and BfV President Sinan Selen described a security environment under pressure from domestic extremism and foreign hybrid operations.

“Foreign activities in Germany are increasing. Reports and intelligence on attack preparations are increasing. Numbers of violence-prone extremists are increasing.”

Right‑wing extremism remains the biggest danger

The right‑wing extremist scene grew to 58,700 individuals, up by 8,450 in a year. The BfV estimates that 28,000 members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) now belong to the extremist spectrum, while the party itself is classified as a suspected case. Around 15,600 right‑wing extremists are considered violence‑oriented, a slight rise from 15,300 in 2024. The report also documents 26,000 so‑called Reichsbürger and Selbstverwalter, about 2,600 of them ready to use violence.

Right-wing extremists58,700

Left-wing extremists42,200

Islamists28,645

Right-wing extremists

58700 persons

Left-wing extremists

42200 persons

Islamists

28645 persons

Data from the article text

Left‑wing and Islamist scenes expand

Left‑wing extremism reached 42,200 adherents, up from roughly 38,000 the year before, with 11,600 classified as violence‑oriented. The BfV links this partly to a perceived “shift to the right” in society, forecasting continued militant antifascist activity. Islamist circles numbered 28,645 people, a slight increase of several hundred. Both jihadist groups and lone actors radicalised online remain a persistent danger.

Youth and online radicalisation

For the first time the report includes a dedicated chapter on the targeting of children and teenagers. Extremist groups exploit gaming platforms such as Roblox, AI‑generated animation and chatbot messengers to approach minors with victim narratives and violence glorification. Radicalisation can occur within weeks, the agency warns, producing a new generation of adherents who are younger, digitally networked and action‑oriented.

“Germany must continue to rearm its security apparatus so that BfV and BND become real intelligence services.”

Foreign espionage and hybrid threats

Russia remains the principal foreign threat, with espionage, sabotage and disinformation operations intensified by the war in Ukraine. The report highlights the case of three men convicted of spying for Russian services, tasked with reconnoitering railway routes and infrastructure for possible attacks. China and Iran focus on economic espionage and intimidation of exiled communities, while cyber‑attacks against critical infrastructure are a growing concern.

Right-wing violence‑oriented15,600

Left-wing violence‑oriented11,600

Right-wing violence‑oriented

15600 persons

Left-wing violence‑oriented

11600 persons

Data from the article text