Nearly 1,000 Islamists watched since 2001

According to the report there are currently 20 suspected Islamists under surveillance, while far-right extremists are being monitored too.

In the past 12 years, the Federal Criminal Police Office has used video evidence gathered from the surveillance of 84 people to uncover and prevent terrorist activity.

In the wake of the attack at the Boston Marathon, Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger has rejected calls for tougher security measures in Germany.

“The terrible attack in Boston shouldn’t be exploited for an internal debate,” she told Welt am Sonntag, adding that German security operations “should not be underestimated.”

DPA/The Local/kkf