The case of Russian espionage in Germany is expanding
German authorities have arrested a second man suspected of spying for Russia. All the details
The German government last week arrested a man believed to have acted as a courier between Russian intelligence and another German spy, who was arrested in December and is awaiting trial. The new arrest is set to draw even more international attention to this espionage case, the urgency of which is alarming Western intelligence services.
THE “CARSTEN L.” CASE
On December 22, German authorities arrested a senior German intelligence official, who was charged with treason and remains in custody. The official, referred to only as "Carsten L." , in compliance with strict German privacy laws, he worked in the signals intelligence (SIGINT) wing of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND).
As Germany's foreign intelligence agency, the BND is tasked with gathering intelligence on foreign targets, a mission that makes it broadly equivalent to the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Carsten L.'s seniority within the BND gave him access to several compartmentalized areas of information, including secrets shared with the BND by other Western intelligence agencies. Because of this, it was reported that some Western intelligence officials were "more enraged" with this case. A source said British intelligence leaders were "considering whether they will continue to supply the BND with their most sensitive information".
THE ARREST OF “ARTHUR E.”
Now a second arrest has come probably adding to the seriousness of this case.
On January 22, the German Federal Criminal Police Office announced the arrest of “Arthur E.”, who was captured at Munich International Airport. As it turns out, Arthur E. is a German citizen of German-Russian descent.
According to the press release issued by the German government, Arthur E. was arrested through a collaborative effort between the BND and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Apparently, the FBI grew suspicious when Arthur E. frantically attempted to leave the United States following the arrest of Carsten L.
Unlike his alleged accomplice, Arthur E. is not a BND employee. He reportedly deals in gemstones and metals. Exactly how she met Carsten L. – presumably in 2020 – remains unknown. He is accused, however, of acting as a courier between his alleged accomplice and "a Russian intelligence agency".
According to the German government, Arthur E. received classified information from Carsten L. and then physically traveled to Russia, where he "transmitted the information" to Russian intelligence. He was charged with treason and is being held in custody. Sources say he is cooperating with German authorities.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/cybersecurity/germania-spionaggio-russia-arthur-e/ on Wed, 01 Feb 2023 06:32:50 +0000.