Secret service: BND locks employees out on suspicion of right-wing extremism

Because of the suspicion of right-wing extremist connections, the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) has issued a so-called entry ban against several employees. As the ARD magazine “Contrasts” reports in its current program, these include a BND employee from Bavaria, whose sons are said to have found Nazi memorabilia, and an AfD member from Thuringia.

In contrast to the federal party, the Thuringian AfD is not classified as a suspected case, but is observed by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution as proven right-wing extremist efforts.

“Right-wing extremist ideas must have no place in the BND,” said the head of the foreign intelligence service, Bruno Kahl. This is one of the reasons why the staff is “selected with great care”. Employees are checked very carefully to see whether they stand on the ground of the free-democratic basic order. Kahl added: “The current events are reason enough: We will look conscientiously and self-critically where we can optimize and sharpen our system of self-protection.” The BND checks its employees on its own, but also obtains information from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) for the security check.

“The recent incident makes it clear once again how urgent a rapid reform of the early warning system in the BND is,” said SPD domestic politician Elisabeth Kaiser. The member of the Bundestag added: “It cannot be that someone publicly spreads conspiracy ideologies and is still not removed from the service at an early stage.”