Authorities chief Kahl: BND wants to protect itself better against extremists

The Federal Intelligence Service wants to review its internal structures in order to prevent extremism in its own ranks – this is what BND President Kahl told the ARD political magazine contrasts.

Bruno Kahl, President of the German foreign intelligence service BND, rarely speaks in front of cameras. But now Kahl has himself in an interview with the ARD political magazine contrasts voiced. The occasion was research by the magazine into cases of right-wing extremism related to the BND. These raise the question of whether the BND has a problem in this area.

One case concerns Björn Hornschu, who was an AfD politician in Thuringia until Wednesday. The Bundeswehr officer is after contrasts-Research employees of the BND. Hornschu ran for the AfD for the Thuringian state parliament and as a district administrator in the Kyffhäuser district, where he is also a member of the district council. On Wednesday he announced that he wanted to give up his mandate. The AfD state association under the leadership of Björn Höcke is classified by the Thuringian protection of the constitution as a “proven right-wing extremist observation object”.

“Sham democracy” and “revolution”

Hornschu himself also attracts attention on social media with statements that are likely to raise doubts about his loyalty to the state. In a YouTube video, for example, he said, referring to his work in the district council and the restrictions imposed by corona protection measures: “Ultimately, this democracy has degenerated into a sham democracy.”

In a Facebook post in 2018, the Federal Republic of Germany referred to Hornschu as “GDR 2.0”. In 2019 he spoke of “repopulation”, repeatedly sharing the content of the “Compact” magazine, which the Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified as “safe right-wing extremist”. After contrastsinformation, the Thuringian protection of the constitution pointed out the BND to its right-wing employee last year.

In the meantime, the BND issued Hornschu a ban on entering BND properties. Hornschu himself wanted to be at the request of contrasts not express. After several inquiries, however, he announced his withdrawal from the AfD yesterday. He wrote on Facebook: “I will rearrange my stars, I have to think about myself and my health.”

parallels to other cases

had in the past contrasts We have already reported several times about Professor Martin Wagener, who, as a political scientist, taught BND junior staff at the “Center for Intelligence Training and Education” until his security clearance was withdrawn by the BND in May 2022. The reason for this was a message from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) to the BND, according to which there were “security-related findings” about Wagener.

These emerged after a review of Wagener’s book “Culture Battle for the People – The Protection of the Constitution and the National Identity of the Germans”. In it, Wagener puts forward the thesis that the aim of the federal government is to transform the traditional German people into a multicultural society. A thesis that sounds similar to Hornschu’s concept of “repopulation”.

BND employee Carsten L., who is said to have betrayed sensitive material to the Russian secret service FSB, was also noticed several times. Officer L. is said to have repeatedly expressed xenophobia, according to “Spiegel” he is even said to have spoken to BND colleagues that he would prefer to shoot asylum seekers by court order. In 2015 and 2016, Carsten L. donated 100 euros to the AfD.

Weapons in the car – Hitler bust in the holiday home

Another BND-related case began on the night of October 8th, 2022: During a major check by the Bavarian police on the A92 in the “Moosburger Au-Ost” parking lot, two brothers aged 18 and 21 were checked . In their Opel Corsa, the officers discovered Molotov cocktails, more than a dozen pistols, an axe, a bow and arrow, a crossbow, a Wehrmacht helmet with SS runes, a knife engraved with “SS – Wolfsschanze”, other knives and several Molotov cocktails.

The brothers stated that they were on their way to their parents’ holiday home in the Bavarian Forest and wanted to “play war” there. research by contrasts and BR research revealed that the two young men are Max and Leo B. and that their mother, Elona B., is an employee in the middle service of the BND.

In the parents’ holiday home, investigators found other Nazi memorabilia, including a bust of Adolf Hitler. According to a neighbor, Elona B., who works at the BND location in Bad Aibling, is said to have worn a necklace with a so-called black sun. The black sun is used as a symbol, especially in right-wing, neo-pagan and right-wing extremist scenes, but is not forbidden and is also used elsewhere.

The neighbor reported contrasts and the BR also from a swastika flag that is said to have hung in the room of one of the sons. Elona B. described her sons as “patriots”. Investigators are said to have secured extensive material during a search of the B. family’s home. However, the investigations are not aimed at the BND employees. The news service, however, followed up contrasts and BR-Information about labor law steps against Elona B.

BND boss: “Self-critically check the system of self-security”

In the contrastsinterview, BND President Kahl made it clear: “There is no place for right-wing extremists in the BND. (…) We ourselves have the greatest interest in being free of extremists of any kind in our own ranks,” said Kahl. The BND checks applicants and employees very carefully for their loyalty to the free democratic basic order.

Nevertheless, the BND President sees a need for action in view of current cases related to extremism and the BND. “The current cases are reason enough for us to check again, also self-critically and very conscientiously, whether our system of self-protection works”.