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

The German domestic intelligence service says it has classified the Alternative for Germany party as a “right-wing extremist effort.”

Germany's spy agency on Friday classified the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as "extremist", enabling it to step up monitoring of the country's biggest opposition party, which decried the move as a "blow against democracy".