bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

An official for Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency has been arrested on suspicion of treason for allegedly passing state secrets to Russia, officials said on Thursday, as tensions soar between Moscow and Berlin.
Ties between Russia and Germany have deteriorated dramatically since the invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, and German officials are on high alert for Russian espionage.
The man – identified only as Carsten L. – “transmitted information that he had obtained in the course of his professional activities to Russian intelligence services”, federal prosecutors said.
He was arrested on Wednesday in Berlin, with authorities searching his workplace and flat and that of one other person. “Investigations were conducted in close cooperation with the BND,” the statement added.
Germany’s Scholz opens floating terminal for liquefied natural gas
The suspect allegedly passed the information to Russia this year. He was remanded in custody after appearing before a judge.
BND president Bruno Kahl said the agency would not comment further on the case for now, as “restraint and discretion are very important”.
“With Russia, we are dealing with an actor whose unscrupulousness and willingness to use violence have to be reckoned with,” he said.
“Every detail of this operation that becomes public means an advantage for this adversary in its intention to harm Germany.”

Since the start of the Ukraine war, concerns about Russian spying in Germany have increased.
Last month a German man was handed a suspended sentence for passing information to Russian intelligence services while working as a reserve officer for the German army.
And in October, Germany’s cybersecurity chief, Arne Schoenbohm, was sacked after a television satire show broadcast allegations that he had ties to Russian intelligence services.
Germany had seen spying cases with links to Russia even before the Ukraine war, as have other European countries.
Germany’s rail network delayed by ‘cable sabotage’, says operator Deutsche Bahn
In 2016, a German former intelligence agent who spied for both the Russian secret services and the CIA was jailed for eight years.
The Ukraine conflict has heightened concerns in Berlin not only about Russian espionage plots, but also attempted sabotage of critical infrastructure and cyberattacks.
The rail network in the north of the country was temporarily paralysed in October by what operator Deutsche Bahn called “sabotage”, with some officials pointing the finger at Russia.
Important communications cables were cut at two sites, forcing rail services to be halted for three hours and causing travel chaos for thousands of passengers.


Why Europe struggles to stand up to Trump

Scientists plan deep-sea expedition to probe ‘dark oxygen’

Chinese EV makers’ overseas outlook improves as Europe levels the playing field

Chinese automotive suppliers speed up localisation to increase global market share

Germany

German intelligence official arrested, accused of spying for Russia

The BND logo is seen at one of the entrances to the headquarters of the Federal Intelligence Servicein Berlin on Thursday. Photo: dpa via AP

Passengers wait for a train in Berlin in October, after an act of “sabotage” caused a major disruption of the German rail network. Photo: AFP

German cybersecurity chief Arne Schoenbohm sacked over alleged Russia ties

Arne Schoenbohm, president of the German Cyber Security Authority, presents a report in Berlin in October 2020. Photo: AFP

Last week, the rail network in the north of the country was temporarily paralysed by what operator Deutsche Bahn called “sabotage”, with some officials pointing the finger at Russia. Photo: dpa via AP

Russian spy caught seeking war crimes court internship, Netherlands says

The International Criminal Court in the Hague, Netherlands. File photo: Reuters

Ukrainian police work in a forest near Bucha in the suburbs of Kyiv, to exhume the bodies of civilians allegedly killed in a massacre by Russian soldiers. Photo: Kyodo

Ukraine: EU nations expel 150 Russian diplomats, many for ‘spying’, in 48 hours

Anti-war posters are pictured displayed outside the Russian embassy in Madrid on Tuesday, after Spain announced it would expel some 25 Russian diplomats and embassy staff. Photo: Reuters

A Ukrainian flag and children’s clothes with red paint symbolising blood, outside the Russian embassy in Madrid, Spain, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Anti-war posters outside the Russian embassy in Madrid, Spain, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Bullet holes on the window screen of a car in the town of Bucha, near Kyiv, which has been taken by the Ukrainian army after Russian forces withdrew. Photo: EPA-EFE

News

World

Europe


The man, identified only as Carsten L., could face treason charges for passing state secrets to Russia
Concerns about Russian spying in Germany have increased since the start of the Ukraine war



The man, identified only as Carsten L., could face treason charges for passing state secrets to Russia.


Espionage

Russia

Diplomacy

Ukraine war