Maaßen caused further controversy following the 2018 Chemnitz protests, during which it appeared an angry mob had "hunted" foreign-looking people. In an interview with "Bild", Maaßen questioned whether there was any credible evidence for such "hunts", and stated that his security agency had in fact not seen any such evidence. Maaßen offered no reason for questioning the widely accepted narrative of what had happened in Chemnitz.