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Sinan Selen, a German citizen of Turkish origin, has been appointed the head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency.
Selen’s appointment marks the first time a person of immigrant origin has assumed a top leadership position of a security-related government institution in Germany.
Selen had been serving as vice president of the organization since January 2019.
German news reports on Sunday said the coalition government of the Christian Union (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) has agreed to appoint Selen to fill the position vacated by Thomas Haldenwang.
According to reports from Handelsblatt and the news portal Table Briefings, citing security sources, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt will notify the agency of Selen’s appointment on Monday. The appointment will reportedly be put to a formal vote at Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting.
Born in Istanbul in 1972 to parents of Turkish origin, Selen moved to Cologne with his parents at the age of four. He studied law at the University of Cologne, focusing on police law, European law and administrative law.
Following university, Selen began working at the Federal Police Agency (BKA) in 2000. He served in the State Security Unit, responsible for political crimes, terrorist crimes and espionage, as well as various units responsible for the security of constitutional institutions and authorities in Berlin.
Selen, who specializes in international terrorism, served on the BKA special commission investigating the attackers’ Hamburg connections following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States.
Selen led the operation to search for the perpetrators following the discovery of bombs placed in suitcases on trains in Cologne and Koblenz in 2006 and his success in this operation led to his transfer to the Ministry of the Interior.
After two years combating cross-border crime and smuggling at the Potsdam-based Federal Border Police, he returned to the interior ministry in 2011, where he assessed intelligence that threatened public security.
