He is one of Germany's most well-known and eminent statesmen as well as the country's longest-serving foreign minister.

But few people know that he used to carry a gun at all times, starting in 1974, when he was still Interior Minister in Chancellor Helmut Schmidt's cabinet. Carrying a handgun is uncommon in Germany and requires a special license.

In an interview with German daily "Süddeutsche Zeitung," Genscher said it was "just a small weapon" as it had to fit in his trouser pocket and that it "calmed him down."

At the time, West Germany was grappling with a series of attacks by left-wing, anti-imperialist extremists from the "Red Army Faction" (RAF) - also known as the Baader-Meinhof Group in its early days - who targeted politicians and other public figures.

"You could never be 100-percent safe," he told the paper.

Genscher, who is a member of the business friendly Free Democrats, said he got the pistol when police found RAF sketches detailing a potential attack on his car and a map to his house.

Carrying the gun became a habit long after the RAF stopped its often deadly attacks. In 1990, when he travelled to a NATO summit in Scotland, security staff tried to confiscate the gun before granting him entry into the UK.

"I told them: Well, I'll just go back home then. That's when they decided to release my luggage," he said in the interview. He did not say whether he still has or carries the pistol.

Genscher served as foreign minister from 1974 to 1992. He became known for his prolific travelling and diplomacy, and he was a key figure during German reunification.