Germany Arrests 'Double Agent' on Suspicion of Passing Info on NSA Investigation to US

German authorities have arrested a 31-year-old man for alleged espionage in the favor of the United States and passing on key intelligence information. According to multiple reports, the man, who worked for German intelligence service BND, was working as a double agent for both countries.

The Independent reports that the specific information allegedly passed on to the United States dealt specifically with a committee investigating the alleged spying on Germany by the National Security Agency (NSA), as initially revealed by former NSA employee Edward Snowden. The newspaper notes that German publication Der Spiegel claimed “the man allegedly passed the US information about a German parliamentary committee’s investigation into the NSA’s activities” and had worked with the United States since 2012.

The agent had long been suspected of working with a foreign government on intelligence issues. The German government began investigating the man under suspicions that he was working for the Russian government. Instead, he confessed that he was working with the United States. The German news publication Bild reported that he was allegedly paid 25,000 Euros ($33,986) for his collaboration with the U.S. government, which included the transfer of confidential documents regarding the NSA wiretapping scandal to American intelligence agents.

Not all involved in the scandal appear convinced that the United States is the party for which the unnamed agent was working. Patrick Sensburg, the head of the inquiry into NSA spying allegations, told German public radio that it was possible other states were involved in the scandal. “I would be very careful about making hasty conclusions about whether the Americans were spying here or whether perhaps other states were spying,” he noted. He added that, to the best of his knowledge, the compromised documents were not, as reported, from the NSA investigation committee.

Internal affairs spokesman for Merkel’s Christian Democrats parliamentary group added that the possibility of the United States paying a German intelligence agent for information has the potential to significantly damage the relationship between Washington and Berlin. “If it turns out to be true that a BND employee worked for the US embassy for years, it would be a huge breach of trust in the transatlantic relationship,” said Stephan Mayer.

In a statement, Germany’s foreign ministry said they have reached out to the United States government, invited a U.S. official to the foreign ministry, and hope to begin a dialogue on the delicate matter. “This was a man who had no direct contact with the investigative committee … he was not a top agent,” said a member of parliament knowledgable of the situation.