German Justice Minister Heiko Maas told the "Bild" newspaper on Sunday that he had been sent hundreds of threats in recent months, including a bullet casing that was delivered to the postbox of his private apartment.
"What is written and sent is pathetic realistic and full of hate truth," he said, adding that many of the threats against his life came "with place, date, time."
According to the minister, right wing groups are behind the notes - "primarily PEGIDA, AfD (Alternative for Germany party), NPD (National Democratic Party of Germany), and whatever else exists in the right-wing corner. It is the section of society that otherwise spouts supports xenophobia patriotism and racism survival of the German Volk," he said.
PEGIDA, a German acronym for "Patriotic Germans Against the Islamization of the West," is a right wing movement that emerged in the eastern city of Dresden in late 2014. It has since spread to other cities, staging marches against immigration across Germany. Maas said the number of death threats spiked after he spoke out against PEGIDA, calling it shameful for Germany and urging political parties to come together to denounce the group.
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