From DW:
The head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency says there's "good reason to believe" the reports were deliberate misinformation.
His comments prompted a flood of criticism and dispute from politicians and the press.
The president of Germany's domestic intelligence agency, Hans-Georg Maassen, has expressed doubts about reports that right-wing extremists were chasing down non-Germans during demonstrations in Chemnitz, Bild newspaper reported Friday.
"I share the skepticism towards media reports of right-wing extremists chasing down [foreigners] in Chemnitz," Maassen told Bild.
Far-right protests in Chemnitz broke out on August 26, after a 35-year-old German man was stabbed to death. The demonstrations were quickly met by counter-protests.
Two men, one Syrian and one Iraqi national, are in pre-trial detention over the stabbing in Chemnitz and a third suspect has been wanted since Tuesday.
Referencing one of the videos posted online showing far-right protesters chasing after people who looked non-German, Maassen said:
"There is no evidence to suggest that the video of this alleged incident circulating online is authentic." Maassen told Bild that his Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) had "no reliable information that such pursuits had taken place."
"There is good reason to believe that this is deliberate misinformation, possibly to distract the public from the murder in Chemnitz," he added.
Maassen has recently come under fire for unexplained meetings with members of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. A book by a former AfD member has even alleged that during one such meeting, with former AfD chairwoman Frauke Petry, Maassen gave tips for avoiding monitoring by the BfV.
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