German arrested for allegedly passing on intelligence to Russia
A German citizen was arrested for allegedly sharing intelligence with Russia.
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German flag, January 8, 2023. (AFP)
A German citizen was arrested at the Munich airport for allegedly sharing intelligene with Russia, through an intelligence service employee, the prosecutor general's office said on Thursday.
The man, identified as Arthur E., was arrested on Sunday upon his arrival from the United States, according to a statement from the prosecutor. He is said to be close to Carsten L., a German foreign intelligence service (BND) employee who was arrested in December on suspicion of spying for Russia.
According to the prosecutor's statement, Arthur E., who is not a German intelligence employee, is suspected of passing on information obtained from Carten L. to the Russian intelligence service.
The investigation was carried out in close collaboration with the BND and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), according to the prosecutor.
In a similar event, Estonian local media reported last year in December that Estonia's law enforcement confirmed they arrested Russian citizen Vadim Konoshchenok at the US's request for allegedly circumventing sanctions and purchasing military and dual-purpose materials for Russia.
Estonia's Postimees newspaper reported that the police detained the Russian national at the request of the US Justice Department on December 6, and is now awaiting extradition to the US.
The report further claimed that Vadim is suspected of being a Russian spy and illegal smuggler of US-made products, including electronics and sniper scopes from Estonia to Russia.
