Merkel has decided German spy chief must go - report

BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel has decided that Germany’s domestic intelligence agency chief must go because she thinks he has meddled in day-to-day politics, newspaper Die Welt cited coalition sources as saying.

Hans-Georg Maassen, head of the BfV domestic intelligence agency, has come under fire after he cast doubt on the authenticity of video footage showing far-right protesters chasing migrants after the fatal stabbing of a German man.



Merkel’s junior coalition partners, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), want conservative Interior Minister Horst Seehofer to fire Maassen over his remarks, but he has so far refused to do so. The coalition partners are due to meet on Tuesday to discuss Maassen’s future.