The 80-page brochure called ‘Prisma’ has been circulated within largely left-wing groupings in the Berlin, Hamburg and the Lower Saxony regions, according to the authorities who fear it may become instrumental in encouraging violence.

The use of sophisticated techniques such as deploying timers as well as several different kinds of inflammable material in arson attacks is discussed in the brochure, as are methods for cutting down electricity pylons and stopping trains by placing obstructions on the line.

There are also several chapters on how to avoid getting caught, outlining the investigation techniques of the police, and offering detailed advice on how saboteurs can avoid leaving clues and shake off those who might be tracking them.

The brochure, “encourages criminal acts with an until now unseen attention to detail and professionalism,” said Hans-Werner Wargel, head of Lower Saxony’s state intelligence service.

“This criminal handbook has reached a quality not previously seen,” he told Der Spiegel.

The magazine noted figures which showed that the number of left-wing radical acts of violence rose by 53 percent in 2009. A grouping of federal and state interior ministers is planning to tackle the scene with an action plan, which has yet to be agreed.