Case of US Spy in German Intelligence Service Goes to Trial

BERLIN (Sputnik) — The case of a US spy, a former employee of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) charged with treason, was passed to the prosecutor's office in the Munich Regional Court, Spiegel Online reported Thursday.

According to information obtained by Spiegel, investigators accuse the BND agent Markus R. of espionage in two cases.

The prosecution claims Marcus R. for years supplied the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with BND secret documents. German intelligence agencies revealed the crime in the summer of 2014 after Marcus R. sent an email containing secret documents to the Russian Consulate General in Munich, which he had previously sent to the CIA, Spiegel Online wrote.

According to the publication, Marcus R. worked in the BND department of international relations and had access to information regarding a network of BND agents working abroad. He is said to have delivered at least 218 documents to the CIA.

It is also acknowledged that Marcus R. made available information about the progress of an investigation into US National Security Agency (NSA) spying in Germany and Europe.

In April, an espionage scandal gripped Germany as media revealed that the German intelligence agency BND provided technical assistance to the US surveillance organization NSA in spying on European targets, including political figures and corporations. A German parliamentary commission initiated an investigation into the case.

According to Spiegel Online, since the beginning of the NSA scandal, relations between Berlin and Washington are negatively impacted, and the revelations in the trial could lead to further deterioration.