A German foreign intelligence officer has been arrested on suspicion of treason for passing state secrets to Russia, German prosecutors said on Thursday.
The man, a German national who was only identified as Karsten L. under German privacy rules, was arrested in Berlin on Wednesday, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
The apartment and workplace of an employee of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and another person were searched, the prosecutor’s office said.
“The accused is suspected of high treason,” the federal prosecutor’s office said. This year, they said, the suspect passed on to Russian intelligence “information obtained in the course of his professional activities,” which they did not identify.
They added that the information was a “state secret” as defined by the German criminal code, but did not elaborate.
The BND launched its own internal investigation as soon as it became aware of the possibility of treason within its ranks, BND head Bruno Kahl said. When these suspicions intensified, she called the federal prosecutor’s office.
Prudence was key later on, he said, as any detail of the investigation that was made public could give “the opponent an advantage in his intention to harm Germany.”
“With Russia, we are dealing with an actor where we must reckon with her ruthlessness and readiness for violence.”
The suspect appeared on Thursday before a judge who ordered him to be held pending a possible indictment, prosecutors said. According to them, the investigation was carried out “in close cooperation” with the BND.
