BERLIN — Officials announced Wednesday that a British citizen working at the British Embassy in Berlin was detained on suspicion of spying for Russia.
Prosecutors said he has been suspected of spying for Russia’s intelligence service since November. According to the prosecution’s statement, he worked as a local hire at the British Embassy in Berlin before his detention and reportedly passed on materials he obtained at work to the Russians.
When contacted by phone later on Wednesday, the federal prosecutor’s office said it couldn’t comment on the matter because of the ongoing investigation and the man’s right to privacy.
Germany’s foreign minister stated that the government is keeping a close eye on the situation.
“Spying on a close partner on German soil is completely wrong, and we stand fully with our British allies,” he added. “We’ll be keeping a close eye on the federal prosecutors’ ongoing investigations.” We shall also help them when it is desirable, required, and possible.”
The British government said only that “an individual who was hired to work for the government was detained yesterday by German authorities.”
The statement continued, “It would not be proper to speak further because there is an ongoing police investigation.”
According to the Met statement, “Primacy for the investigation remains with German authorities,” and “officers from the Counter Terrorism Command continue to engage with German counterparts as the investigation proceeds.”
The Metropolitan Police Service’s Counter Terrorism Command is in charge of looking into suspected violations of the Official Secrets Act.
On Wednesday, a federal court ordered the guy to be held in custody awaiting additional investigation.
However, espionage efforts in Berlin are said to have decreased after the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the unification of Germany a year later, and the end of the Cold War.