German spy suspected of planning Islamist attack

An employee of Germany's domestic intelligence agency who "radicalized himself" was suspected of planning an Islamist terrorist attack, German authorities confirmed Wednesday.

The 51-year-old Spanish-born German national was arrested in Dusseldorf for allegedly sharing secret information and making extreme threats on an Islamist Internet forum.

The spy, a former bank worker who started working in April for the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, known as BfV, was not named. It was also not clear when he was detained. Part of his role included monitoring Islamic extremists.

Prosecutors believe the suspect was planning to carry out an attack on a BfV office.

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"We are evidently dealing with a case in which a person radicalized himself undetected within his personal surroundings," Hans-Georg Maassen, the head of the BfV, told German news agency DPA.

"Like every intelligence agency, (the BfV) is the target of infiltration attempts by foreign services, extremists and terrorists, which is why we as a security agency have to be particularly vigilant with regards to intruders," Maassen said.

The German weekly magazine Der Spiegel reported Tuesday that the suspect's family was not aware that he converted to Islam in 2014.

The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for two attacks carried out in southern Germany this summer. The country was been on high alert ever since.