By Oyintari Ben
According to the German Federal Prosecutor General’s office, a German national who worked for the country’s foreign intelligence service was detained on Wednesday on suspicion of espionage for Russia.
In a press statement, the German Prosecutor General described the defendant, Carsten L., as being “urgently suspected of treason.”
The following allegations were made against the defendant, who works for the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), in the arrest warrant: “In 2022, he provided information he had obtained as part of his official activities to a Russian intelligence service. According to the press release, the information is protected as a state secret under Section 93 of the Criminal Code.
It was uncertain immediately if he had been appointed a lawyer.
Police searched the defendant’s and another suspect’s residences and businesses. With the BND, the investigation was carried out in close collaboration.
The accused was hauled before the Federal Supreme Court investigating judge on Thursday, who mandated that he be kept in detention.
In November, the director general of the security service of the United Kingdom stated that 600 Russian officials had been expelled from Europe this year, 400 of whom his organization believed to be spies, in a speech outlining risks to the country.
According to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, Norwegian police in October detained an academic who claimed to be a citizen of Brazil on suspicion of covertly spying for Russia.
In June, Dutch police said they had prevented a Russian spy from using a false identity to enter the International Criminal Court (ICC).
