Incoming German interior minister Alexander Dobrindt suggested on Sunday it was unlikely the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party would be banned after the spy agency classified it as "extremist" last week.

Alexander Dobrindt told ARD that he doubted if the AfD operations mentioned in the intelligence agency’s assessment satisfied the standards for an absolute prohibition

The reclassification — AfD was previously designated a “suspected” extremist group — is likely to reignite debate over a political ban on the party.