German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has reacted to reports of the arrest of a British national in Germany on suspicion of spying for Russia, saying that such espionage by a citizen of an allied nation was “absolutely unacceptable.”
“We take information on intelligence activities in the interests of the Russian special services extremely seriously, because espionage against a close ally on German territory is absolutely unacceptable,” Maas said, speaking to reporters on Wednesday.
The foreign minister indicated that he had not yet contacted his colleagues in the UK about the arrest of the espionage suspect, but said he was prepared to support the investigation.
Earlier Wednesday, German prosecutors announced that a 57-year-old British national named David S had been detained in Potsdam, Germany by the federal criminal police on Tuesday on suspicion of espionage for an unnamed Russian intelligence agency. The suspect is accused of having collaborated with the foreign intelligence service since November 2020.
Scotland Yard later confirmed this information, and indicated that they were provide any necessary assistance.
The suspect’s home and workplace – the British Embassy in Berlin, were searched.
Moscow has yet to comment on the incident, but the Russian Embassy in Germany has indicated that it has no information on the matter to report. Maas said he had not contacted his Russian counterparts over the matter.
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