Germany arrests suspected double agent spying for U.S. - two German politicians

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Reuters

German authorities have arrested a German man employed by the domestic intelligence agency (BND) on suspicion of spying for the United States, two politicians with knowledge of the affair told Reuters on Friday.

The German Federal Prosecutor's office said in a statement that a 31-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of being a foreign spy, but it gave no further details.

The affair risks further straining ties with Washington which were damaged by revelations last year of mass surveillance of German citizens by the U.S. National Security Agency, which included monitoring Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone.

The man has admitted passing to an American contact details about a special German parliamentary committee set up to investigate the spying revelations made by former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, the politicians said.

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/07/04/uk-germany-usa-spying-idUKKBN0F915A20140704

[jakeXT]

1. originally arrested on suspicions that he had sought to make contact with Russian intelligence

The man was origially arrested on suspicions that he had sought to make contact with Russian intelligence, only to confess he was in fact spying for the Americans, according to Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

Spiegel magazine reported he had confessed to passing information to an American contact in exchange for money, and that he was particularly looking for information about the NSA enquiry.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/10946155/German-agent-arrested-for-spying-for-US.html

[dipsydoodle]

2. lol

Good find.

[Scuba]

3. Or the Russians told him they were Americans.

[JDPriestly]

4. Germans understand that surveillance programs get out of hand.

"Germany is particularly sensitive about surveillance because of abuses by the Stasi secret police in communist East Germany and by the Nazis. After the Snowden revelations, Berlin demanded that Washington agree to a "no-spy agreement" with its close ally, but the United States has been unwilling."

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/07/04/uk-germany-usa-spying-idUKKBN0F915A20140704

Surveillance programs are always justified by some external threat that the government must protect against. And when they start out, when the framework is being set up, the surveillance usually focuses on troublemakers. Nowadays, the programs probably are to a great extent focused on finding terrorists and other troublemakers. But then the purpose expands just a bit to protect the surveillance program itself. We see that the NSA in our case is also targeting Tor and probably other groups that disseminate encryption or provide means for avoiding the NAS surveillance. The problem is that the net of surveillance inevitably widens to get that guy and that guy.

Ever wider, pretty soon, the surveillance apparatus, the clique in government that is watching and has the network or the technology to watch ever more people and activities has taken over. Everyone is intimidated. Do we want that?

Germans know just how it works. I lived in Germany for a while. At that time, Germany was divided. East Germany was under the control of the STASI, their seccret service.

After 1988, I wondered why we did not hear more about all the horrors the STASI had perpetrated on the East Germans. There was a film, The Lives of Others, if you don't understand how dangerous these prorams are. But really we heard so little about how STASI had worked and intimidated East Germans. It surprised me that our government was so low-key about criticizing the STASI and educating Americans about it.

But now I understand why the silence. We were devising our own STASI at the time.

The Germans get it. We don't.

[Blue_Tires]

5. he should have announced that he was a whistleblower

Then he would have been golden...

[alp227]

6. US Amb. to Germany summoned per BBC

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28171416

The German authorities have summoned the US ambassador in Berlin after a man was arrested on suspicion of spying.

The US diplomat "was asked to help in the swift clarification" of the case, the foreign ministry said.

The BBC's Steve Evans in Berlin says the new allegation of American spying on an ally may make it harder for the US to get German help in its efforts to oppose Russian activity in Ukraine, and also to control Iranian nuclear ambitions.

[Blue_Tires]

7. As usual, the *real* story comes out a couple days later

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/german-spy-who-sold-secrets-to-us-tried-to-make-deal-with-russians-9587173.html

And goes unnoticed by practically everyone...

Now that all the blame can't be pinned on Washington and the NSA angle is gone, I expect this story to die a quick, dignified death...

[reorg]

8. no, that "real story" was already part of the news when it broke

He was thought to be selling information to the Russians at first (because he tried) but then came the surprise for the Germans: he had been selling information to the US, for no less than TWO YEARS already. As your article states:

The offer was evidently gladly received. In his role as America's mole within the BND, the agent is thought to have downloaded an estimated 300 secret intelligence documents from the BND's computer system on to USB sticks.

From 2012 until last week, the agent met his US spymasters at secret locations in Austria, where the information was handed over. The agent is said to have received €10,000 (£8,000) per batch of information.

[Blue_Tires]

9. Some news stories on Friday didn't mention it

and even the Reuters piece buries it below the lede, sandwiched in between a bunch of hysterics about how this 'scandal' will affect U.S.-German relations and hand-wringing from German pols...

I personally fail to understand their outrage (I realize part of it is just about keeping up appearances for the general public, but still...) If I'd offered to sell genuine CIA secrets to German intelligence, you bet your ass they would be forking over the cash -- They would be completely negligent in their official duties if they DIDN'T take me up on my offer (remember Pollard?)...All those counties initially offering asylum to Snowden (before Washington started twisting arms behind the scenes)?? Those offers weren't because they wanted to protect a "whistleblower" or shield him from political persecution; those countries were desperate to know the goodies he had in his treasure chest...

Of course my earlier point still stands -- If the moron had the foresight to sell his secrets to Greenwald or Assange instead of taking the short-end money, he'd have been a hero in the media instead of facing the jail cell...