British embassy worker in Germany arrested for ‘spying for Russia’
- The suspect, identified as David S., was believed to have been spying since November 2020
- His arrest was the result of a joint operation by German and British authorities
The suspect identified only as David S., who worked as local staff at the British embassy, “on at least one occasion passed on documents he acquired as part of his professional activities to a representative of Russian intelligence”.
“The accused received a cash payment in an unspecified amount in return,” the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
It said David S. was taken into custody on Tuesday in the eastern city of Potsdam on an arrest warrant issued on August 4. His home and place of work were searched.
The suspect was believed to have been spying since November 2020 “at the latest”.
His arrest was the result of a joint operation by German and British authorities. The British embassy in Berlin declined to comment.
The Metropolitan Police in London said the suspect was a 57-year-old British national and that the investigation was conducted by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command and German counterparts.