Germany arrests alleged Russian spy at UK embassy in Berlin

BERLIN – Germany has arrested a British national connected suspicion of spying for Russia portion moving astatine the British Embassy successful Berlin, officials said Wednesday.

Federal prosecutors said successful a connection that the antheral was detained connected Tuesday successful the metropolis of Potsdam southwest of the superior based connected cooperative investigations by German and British authorities. In keeping with German privateness laws, helium was lone identified arsenic David S.

Prosecutors said helium is suspected of having spied for the Russian quality work astatine slightest since November. Before his arrest, helium worked arsenic a section prosecute astatine the British Embassy successful the German superior and allegedly passed connected documents helium received astatine enactment to the Russians, the prosecutors' connection said.

It's improbable the fishy had diplomatic immunity due to the fact that successful specified a lawsuit helium would person usually been expelled from the state alternatively of being detained.

The national prosecutor's bureau said aboriginal connected Wednesday, erstwhile reached by phone, it could not springiness immoderate further details connected the lawsuit due to the fact that of the ongoing probe and the man's privateness rights.

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Germany's overseas curate said the authorities is intimately pursuing the case.

“We instrumentality the accusation that the detained person’s quality enactment was carried retired connected behalf of a Russian quality bureau highly seriously," Heiko Maas told reporters successful Berlin.

“Spying connected a adjacent state connected German ungraded is perfectly unacceptable and we are successful afloat solidarity with our British friends,” helium said. "We volition beryllium pursuing the national prosecutors’ further investigations precise closely. And wherever that’s desired, indispensable and possible, we volition besides enactment them.”

The Russian Embassy successful Berlin declined to remark Wednesday connected reports astir the arrest, the Interfax quality bureau reported. The embassy “currently does not person immoderate authoritative accusation from the German broadside connected this issue,” Interfax quoted the embassy's spokespeople arsenic saying.

The British authorities provided fewer details astir the embassy worker, saying that “an idiosyncratic who was contracted to enactment for the authorities was arrested yesterday by the German authorities.”

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"It would not beryllium due to remark further arsenic determination is an ongoing constabulary investigation,” the connection said.

Britain’s Metropolitan Police said successful a abstracted connection that “the antheral was arrested successful the Berlin country connected suspicion of committing offenses relating to being engaged successful ‘Intelligence Agent activity’.”

“Primacy for the probe remains with German authorities," the Met statement, portion "officers from the Counter Terrorism Command proceed to liaise with German counterparts arsenic the probe continues.”

The Met’s Counter Terrorism Command is liable for investigating alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Act.

German prosecutors said the fishy received an chartless magnitude of currency successful instrumentality for his alleged spying activities. Investigators person searched his location and office, the connection added.

A national justice connected Wednesday ordered the antheral to stay nether apprehension pending further investigation.

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During the Cold War, Berlin was often dubbed arsenic “the superior of spies” due to the fact that the metropolis was connected the frontlines of the confrontation betwixt the Soviets successful the East and the Americans and their occidental allies successful the West. Intelligence agents were progressive connected some sides of the divided metropolis and sometimes — aft immoderate espionage agents were caught — determination were infamous cloak-and-dagger exchanges of captured spies connected the Glienicker Bridge.

However, since the autumn of the Berlin Wall successful 1989, the unification of Germany a twelvemonth later, and the extremity of the Cold War, espionage activities successful Berlin person supposedly abated.

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Frank Jordans successful Berlin, Danica Kirka and Panagiotis Pylas successful London, and Daria Litvinova successful Moscow contributed reporting.

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