Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is Germany's federal domestic intelligence agency. Together with the Landesämter für Verfassungsschutz (LfV) at the state level, the federal agency is tasked with intelligence-gathering on efforts against the liberal democratic basic order, the existence and security of the federation or one of its states, and the peaceful coexistence of peoples; with counter-intelligence; and with protective security and counter-sabotage. The BfV reports to the Federal Ministry of the Interior and tasks and powers are regulated in the Bundesverfassungsschutzgesetz. The President is Thomas Haldenwang; he was appointed in 2018.
BfV headquarters in Cologne
BfV building in Berlin
Federal Ministry of the Interior (Germany)
The Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (German: Bundesministerium des Innern und für Heimat, German pronunciation: [ˈbʊndəsminɪsˌteːʁiʊm dɛs ˈɪnəʁn ʊnt fyːɐ̯ ˈhaɪ̯maːt], abbreviated BMI, is a cabinet-level ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. Its main office is in Berlin, with a secondary seat in Bonn. The current minister is Nancy Faeser.
It is comparable to the British Home Office or a combination of the US Department of Homeland Security and the US Department of Justice, because both manage several law enforcement agencies. The BMI is tasked with the internal security of Germany. To fulfill this responsibility it maintains, among other agencies, the two biggest federal law enforcement agencies in Germany, the Federal Police and the Federal Criminal Police Office. It is also responsible for the federal domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
Federal Ministry of the Interior (Germany)
Seal of the Reichsamt des Innern
Pre-1923 Seal of the Weimar-era Reichsministerium des Innern
BMI in Berlin