<p>Since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the focus of Islamism research has been on individual radicalisation processes, the historical development of Islamism and individual counter-terrorism measures. However, the perspective of the German security authorities on dealing with Islamism has hardly been systematically analysed in the literature to date. This article analyses reports from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) and evaluates interviews with employees of the BfV and the German police in order to understand how the security authorities have assessed the threat posed by Islamism in Germany since 2001 and how they present this threat to the public. This provides information about the challenges the authorities face and what measures they consider necessary. The analysis makes it possible to examine how Islamism is perceived by the security authorities and how uniformly or differentiatedly this threat is assessed. The analysis also shows which various factors influence this threat assessment and which threat perceptions characterise the individual actions of employees. The reports of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution have stated a constant threat from Islamist activities and Islamist actors since 2001, although the way in which the threat is articulated has varied over the years. In addition to the threat assessments, the interviews also provide an insight into the perceived requirements and favoured solutions for dealing with Islamist activities. Particularly in connection with the prevention of politically motivated acts of violence, the interviewees described a high level of pressure to perform and expectations that can hardly be met. It is clear that institutional and regional factors have an influence on individual assessments and on the reports of the various state offices for the protection of the constitution (LfV).</p>