Turkish-born security expert Sinan Selen to lead Germany's spy agency

BERLIN

Germany will appoint Sinan Selen as the new president of its domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, marking the first time a person with an immigration background will lead one of the country's top security organizations.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt is expected to announce the appointment Monday, according to public broadcaster ARD, with the federal Cabinet likely to formalize the decision on Wednesday.

Selen, 53, was born in Istanbul and moved to Germany with his family when he was four years old. The counterterrorism expert has served as vice president of the BfV since January 2019 and is known for his expertise in international terrorism and religious extremism.

After completing his law degree at the University of Cologne, Selen launched his security career in 2000 at the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). From 2006 to 2009, he headed the "Foreign Terrorism and Foreign Extremism" department at the Federal Ministry of the Interior before joining the BfV.

Selen's predecessor, Thomas Haldenwang, resigned in November 2024 to pursue a parliamentary seat with Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU).

However, his political ambitions ended when he failed to win a seat in the general elections held in February.