Bild Report: Over 12 CIA Spies Work in German Ministries

Local Editor

German tabloid Bild am Sonntag reported on Sunday that US secret services have recruited more than a dozen officials in various German government ministries to work as spies, with some of them working for the CIA for many years.

Following previous espionage scandals in Germany, with several suspected US agents exposed in July, a report of more spies infiltrating German ministries was published by Bild am Sonntag, Germany's largest-selling national Sunday paper.

The paper reported that alleged spies work within the country's defense, development, economic, and interior ministries referring to unnamed sources in the US intelligence community.

Due to the current diplomacy tensions between Washington and Berlin, caused by espionage concerns, the spies are reportedly not meeting with their US handlers at the moment, according to Bild.

Moreover, several inquiries into the activities of American embassies in Prague and Warsaw have been initiated, as US intelligence agencies are reportedly considering basing their recruitment activities there.

Recently this week, German authorities carried out a raid on the residence of a Defense Ministry official over suspicions of him passing secrets to the US.

The raid happened just one week after the arrest of a German officer who worked as a double agent within the state security apparatus. The country also expelled the CIA chief in Berlin over spying allegations.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted it would be difficult to convince the US to change the way it carries out its intelligence missions.

"I believe it won't be an easy task to persuade the US authorities to drastically alter the nature of their intelligence services' activities," she told ZDF channel during a pre-recorded interview.

Merkel also said the two countries have "different views" on the work of intelligence agencies. "We want this partnership, but...you do not spy on each other," she said.

Sources: News Agencies, Edited by website team