In this June 11, 2013 file picture the president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Hans-Georg Maassen attends a press conference in Berlin, Germany. AP FILE PHOTO
BERLIN, Germany鈥擳he head of Germany鈥檚 domestic intelligence agency says the number of Islamic extremists in the country is growing rapidly.
Hans-Georg Maassen says his agency estimates that some 6,300 people in Germany are adherents of a fundamentalist strain of Islam known as Salafism.
Maassen told rbb-Inforadio in an interview broadcast Saturday that the number of Salafis could rise to 7,000 by the end of the year, compared to about 3,800 three years ago.
He says extremist strands of Islam provide disaffected young people with a sense of belonging and purpose that allows them to hope they鈥檒l go 鈥渇rom being underdogs to top dogs.鈥�
Authorities estimate that some 450 Salafis have traveled from Germany to join extremists groups fighting in Syria and Iraq.
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