BERLIN (AP) — German authorities are preparing for another far-right rally in the eastern city of Chemnitz over the recent killing of a man that was blamed on migrants.

About 1,000 people are expected at Friday night's demonstration, far fewer than immediately after the stabbing of Daniel Hillig on Aug. 26.

What transpired in the immediate aftermath to the death has exposed differences between Chancellor Angela Merkel and top security officials.

Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert has described how protesters "hunted" foreigners during spontaneous demonstrations after the killing.

However, the head of the country's domestic spy agency Hans-Georg Maassen said he was skeptical about the characterization. In comments published by the Bild newspaper Friday, Maassen said his agency had "no reliable information about such hunts taking place."