German investigators can now cultivate informants, tap phone calls and read emails as part of its inquiry. The Alternative for Germany party says the move is politically motivated.

Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has wrapped up a two-year investigation into the Alternative for Germany. The party's far-right branch is already under surveillance.

Many expected the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, to continue growing stronger, but the coronavirus pandemic has exposed the far-right party's deep internal divisions.