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On Sunday, a German citizen, identified as Arthur E., was arrested at Munich Airport on suspicion of committing treason. The arrest comes amid allegations that Arthur E. passed classified intelligence data to Russia, in collusion with an employee of the German Foreign Intelligence Service (BND), Carsten L., who was arrested on similar charges in December of last year.
The investigation, which was conducted in close cooperation with the BND and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), reveals a disturbing trend of increased Russian espionage activity, particularly in light of the ongoing tensions between Russia and the West over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
State Treason
In a statement, according to Reuters, federal prosecutors said, "The accused is suspected of state treason...In 2022, he shared information that he came by in the course of his work with a Russian intelligence agency.
The content is considered a state secret." The suspect was remanded in custody after being brought before a judge of Germany's highest criminal court on Monday. The German authorities have urged discretion in the handling of the investigation, as any detail made public could give the "opponent an advantage in its intent to harm Germany," according to the President of the Federal Intelligence Service, Bruno Kahl.
Kahl also warned, "With Russia, we are dealing with an actor where we must reckon with its ruthlessness and willingness to be violent." A German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) employee was detained in December on suspicion of passing highly confidential information to Russian intelligence services.
Prosecutors claim that this data included state secrets. According to Spiegel magazine, the man handled crucial intelligence for the Ukraine war in a BND department. The arrest of Arthur E. and the ongoing investigation into the alleged espionage activities of Carsten L.
serve as a stark reminder of the ongoing threat of foreign espionage and the need for continued vigilance and cooperation in the face of such threats. "The threats and hostilities against our democracy are currently massive.
Illegitimate efforts to assert influence, propaganda and espionage are relevant and acute areas where our security agencies need to be much better, more resilient and sharper," says Konstantin von Notz, a member of the parliament with the Green Party and the chairman of the Parliamentary Oversight Panel for the intelligence services.
"It's not just the military that Germany needs to radically overhaul, he says, but "also in the area of intelligence services, and that's why we have to underpin that legally as part of the reorganization of the law for these security agencies."