Germany detains British embassy employee suspected of spying for Russia
German law enforcement officers detained a British citizen David S. in Potsdam. He is suspected of working for the Russian special service.
According to a statement published on the website of the Prosecutor General's Office of Germany, the man was detained by employees of the German Federal Criminal Police Office, who are conducting an investigation. Search warrants were executed at work and at the suspect’s home.
"The accused is suspected of working for a foreign special service at the latest since November 2020," the Prosecutor General's Office of Germany said in a statement.
According to investigators, prior to his arrest, David S. was a locally hired employee of the British Embassy in Berlin and "on at least one occasion transferred documents obtained in the course of his professional activities to a representative of Russian intelligence." In exchange for the information, he received cash. The amount is still unknown.
The detention of David S. was the result of the joint work of German and British law enforcement officers. On August 11, the suspect will appear before an investigating judge of the Supreme Federal Court.
As stated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Berlin very seriously took the fact that Germany opened a case against a British citizen, suspected of espionage in favor of Russia. Espionage to the detriment of the allied states on the territory of Germany is unacceptable, the official representative of the German Foreign Ministry stressed and indicated that the foreign ministry will closely monitor the progress of the investigation.
Russian authorities have not yet commented on the matter.