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Islamists recruit refugees arriving in Germany — security agency

Salafis pose as representatives of charity organizations and volunteers, establish contacts with refugees and invite them to special mosques to recruit them there

BERLIN, September 18. /TASS/. Islamist extremists are actively recruiting refugees having arrived in Germany from the Middle East, Germany’s domestic security agency said on Friday.

"We see that Salafis pose as representatives of charity organizations and volunteers, establish contacts with refugees and invite them to special mosques to recruit them there," The Rheinische Post daily newspaper quoted Hans-Georg Maassen as saying.

According to Maassen, many arriving refugees are Sunnis, and local Salafis consider it as an advantage for fulfilling their plans.

There are currently up to 4.3 million Muslims living in Germany - approximately five percent of the total population. Salafism is an ultra-conservative orthodoxical movement within Sunni Islam. According to Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, there are around 6,000 Salafis in Germany. They are closely monitored by local security services.