Merkel to Testify Before German Parliamentary on Alleged U.S. Surveillance

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel is to appear Thursday before a parliamentary committee looking into alleged U.S. surveillance in Germany and the activities of Germany’s own foreign intelligence service.

The inquiry was launched a year after former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed details of secret U.S. eavesdropping programs in 2013. The panel is investigating alleged eavesdropping in Germany by the U.S. National Security Agency and its relationship with German counterparts.

Reports that the NSA listened in on German government phones, including Merkel’s, prompted a diplomatic spat between Berlin and Washington that briefly soured otherwise good relations with the Obama administration.

Merkel declared at the time that “spying among friends” was unjustified. But subsequent reports indicated that Germany’s own BND intelligence agency may have helped the U.S. spy on European companies and officials.