CIA Had Role in Spy Operation Against Germany: US Officials

Local Editor

Two US officials said on Monday that the Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] was involved in a spying operation against Germany that led to the alleged recruitment of a German intelligence official and has prompted renewed outrage in Berlin.

The US officials who confirmed the CIA's role spoke on condition of anonymity, and offered no further details.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest declined comment on the dispute.

Moreover, CIA Director John Brennan has asked to brief key members of the US Congress on the matter, which threatens a new rupture between Washington and a close European ally, one of the officials said.

It was unclear if and when Brennan's briefing to US lawmakers would take place. The CIA declined any comment on the matter.

The latest allegations come as the US has declined to sign onto a "no-spy" pact with Germany, which was offered after it was revealed that the NSA was collecting information on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's communications.

Recently last week, the office of Germany's Federal Prosecutor issued a statement saying that a 31-year old man had been arrested on suspicion of being a foreign spy, and that investigations were continuing.
The suspect worked for Germany's Federal Intelligence Service, known by the German initials BND.

German politicians have said that the suspect, an employee of the country's foreign intelligence service, admitted passing to an American contact details concerning a German parliamentary committee's investigation of alleged US eavesdropping disclosed by Edward Snowden, a former contractor for the US National Security Agency [NSA].

Snowden's revelations last year, which included evidence that the NSA was targeting Merkel's personal cell phone, frosted US-German relations. The White House agreed to stop targeting Merkel, but rejected Berlin's pleas for a wider "no spy" pact.

Earlier on Monday, Merkel made her first comments on the situation - the most serious since evidence emerged of NSA surveillance of the European leader's personal phone.

"If the reports are correct it would be a serious case," she said. "If the allegations are true, it would be for me a clear contradiction as to what I consider to be trusting cooperation between agencies and partners."

Sources: News Agencies, Edited by website team