A German intelligence agent suspected of passing sensitive information to Russia has been arrested in Berlin. A delicate matter in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine which has increased the threats of espionage.
German national Carsten L., an agent of the Federal Intelligence Services (BND), is suspected of ” high treason “announced Thursday, December 22 the federal prosecutor’s office in Karlsruhe.
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« In 2022 »a year marked by the military offensive launched on February 24 by Moscow in Ukraine, this man “provided information, collected in the course of his work, to a Russian intelligence service”, said the federal prosecutor’s office in Karlsruhe. The authorities do not give further details, saying only that searches were carried out at the home and at the place of work of the suspect, as well as another person.
Arrested Wednesday in Berlin, where the headquarters of the BND is located, the man was brought before a judge and remanded in custody on Thursday. “Restraint and discretion are very important in this particular case”commented in a press release Bruno Kahl, the president of the BND.
“Lack of scruples”
Russia is “an actor whose lack of scruples and propensity for violence are to be taken into account”he added, and “every detail made public in this case represents an advantage for this adversary, in his intention to harm Germany”.
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Bruno Kahl’s statements could have been motivated by the fear of a possible endangerment of the liaison officers and the agents of the German service in Russia. These people could have been betrayed by the suspected spy in the ranks of the BND.
“We are working closely and in full confidence with the investigators to fully unravel the case”continued Bruno Kahl.
Russian espionage activity on the rise in Germany
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russian espionage activities in Germany have taken on a scale rarely equaled in recent years, underlined the German security services which have regularly warned against this threat. The German intelligence services have further raised their level of alert on these issues.
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Russia’s objective is in particular to collect as much information as possible on Germany’s strategic infrastructures, in particular energy, rail and road. Large German companies are also in the crosshairs of Russian agents.