Hawzah News Agency-The number of Salafi Muslims in Germany, adherents of an ultra-conservative school of thought within Sunni Islam, has been growing rapidly and is boosting the ranks of terrorist recruits, the country’s intelligence chief said Wednesday.

Hans-Georg Maassen, president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, said that there are 9,200 Salafis in Germany, up from 8,900 in June and  about 5,500 three years ago.

Salafis, who the German government says want to overturn democracy and install a system based on Islamic law, make up only a small proportion of Germany’s total Muslim population of more than 4 million.  But, security officials say, they join terrorist groups at a much higher rate than others. 

“The unchecked growth in the number of Salafis is expanding the pool of recruits for terrorists,” Maassen said.

Almost all of the German nationals who have travelled to Syria to fight for Daesh became radicalized by Salafis, who target low-income Muslim youths in German cities, experts say.

“Young Muslim men who are drifting are the main targets for Salafis,” said Thomas Muecke, co-founder of the nonprofit group Violence Prevention Network. “Those who preach hate are especially effective in attracting and holding on to these lost young men.” 

Muecke said authorities believe terrorist groups are trying to attract new recruits from among the refugees who have arrived in Germany in the last year.

Germany and governments across Europe are on high alert after a string of terrorist attacks in France, Belgium and Germany.

Maassen also said the German intelligence agency was increasingly worried about the growing number of “lone wolves” behind the most recent attacks.

“We’re concerned about this new breed of attackers who seem to be acting on their own,” he said. “It’s a real challenge for us to detect such small sleeper cells.”