Germany arrests suspected middleman in Russian spy case

Suspect accused of passing secrets to Russia obtained from mole in German intelligence

Prosecutors allege secrets from a German spy agency were passed to Russia. Getty

Germany has arrested a second suspect in a Russian spy case that embarrassed its foreign intelligence service, it was announced on Thursday.

A German citizen identified as Arthur E. is suspected of being a middleman who passed secrets to Russia.

They were allegedly slipped to him by German intelligence agent Carsten L., who was arrested last month.

Arthur E. is accused of “bringing the information to Russia and giving it to the intelligence service,” a statement from German prosecutors said.

It said he was arrested at Munich Airport after arriving from the US, in an investigation supported by the American FBI.

A German judge ordered that he be held in investigative custody on suspicion of being an accomplice to treason.

The second suspect did not work for German intelligence, prosecutors said, unlike Carsten L. who was detained in Berlin on December 21.

It led to questions about how the suspected mole had been missed at a time of high political tension with Russia.

Intelligence services had warned last year of a growing threat from Russian espionage during the war in Ukraine.

Germany has said it cannot go into detail about the case to avoid giving further tip-offs to Russia.

“With Russia, we have to deal with an actor that is ruthless and willing to be violent,” foreign intelligence chief Bruno Kahl said after the case came to light last month.

Russia has long been accused of espionage and cyber operations in Germany. A Russian scientist was convicted last year of passing on details about Europe’s space programme in exchange for money.

The former head of Germany’s cyber security agency, Arne Schoenbohm, was dismissed in October over alleged business links to Russia.