Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Tracking & Law Enforcement

US Envoy Called to Merkel Office to Discuss Spy ‘Crisis’

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office asked the US ambassador to come in Thursday to discuss new allegations of NSA spying, which threaten to drive a new wedge through transatlantic ties.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office asked the US ambassador to come in Thursday to discuss new allegations of NSA spying, which threaten to drive a new wedge through transatlantic ties.

In the latest eruption in a nearly two-year rift over illicit espionage, a German government source said “US ambassador (John) Emerson was invited to the chancellery to talk”, confirming a report by the Frankfurter Allgemeine daily that said Merkel’s chief of staff Peter Altmaier had requested the meeting.

The US embassy had no immediate comment, but news agency DPA quoted an unnamed German government official as saying the meeting would take place in a “crisis atmosphere”.

German media had reported Wednesday that new documents released by whistleblowing website WikiLeaks appear to show the United States did not just tap Merkel’s mobile phone but also eavesdropped on several ministers.

German-US relations were badly strained after fugitive US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden in 2013 revealed widespread US foreign surveillance, although a probe into the alleged tapping of Merkel’s mobile phone was dropped last month due to lack of proof.

The federal prosecutor’s office said Thursday, however, that it was considering reopening an investigation into US National Security Agency (NSA) activities in Germany in light of the new evidence.

According to the latest Wikileaks documents, the NSA did not limit its snooping activities to Merkel, and showed particular interest in the ministries of finance, economy and agriculture, the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung and two public broadcasters reported.

They said WikiLeaks had shown them a list of 69 phone numbers that were reportedly targeted, belonging to ministers and senior officials. The list appears to date back to between 2010 and 2012.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Current Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel was among those spied on by the NSA, the reports said, although they noted that he was in the opposition at the time.

‘Lost sense of proportion’

The list also features the number of former finance minister Oskar Lafontaine, who left the job in 1999. But the number is “still active”, according to the Sueddeutsche report, and now rings through to the office of the powerful current finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble.

Schaeuble told the mass-market Bild newspaper that he had the impression “a few people at the American (secret) services may have lost their sense of proportion” and said Washington should supply some answers.

While Snowden alleged US spying on many European governments, his disclosures triggered particular anger in Germany where bitterness lingers over mass state spying on citizens by the Stasi secret police in former communist East Germany where Merkel grew up.

Merkel herself phoned US President Barack Obama over the 2013 revelations and in public told Germany’s traditional post-war ally and NATO partner that “spying between friends just isn’t on”.

Washington appeared to confirm that her phone had been tapped when US officials said it would not be a target in the future.

The US government has been keen to push past an unpleasant chapter in relations with Europe’s top economy to focus on trouble spots such as Ukraine, Iran and Greece, as well as the mooted TTIP transatlantic trade pact.

However resentment in Germany over the spying has festered, with media coverage of the issue unabated and a parliamentary probe ongoing.

Merkel, who polls show is enormously popular in Germany, has faced fervent criticism from the opposition for failing to hold Obama’s feet to the fire for a full reckoning and a formal US pledge to exempt Germany from espionage.

Members of the investigating committee called on the chancellor Thursday to take action.

“Merkel needs to come out and start fighting right away,” said Christian Flisek of the Social Democrats, partners in Merkel’s “grand coalition” government.

The committee’s chairman, Patrick Sensburg of Merkel’s Christian Democrats, said the US administration was “under pressure to offer an explanation”.

Related: NSA Spied on French Economy Ministers, Top Companies: Reports

Written By

AFP 2023

Click to comment

Trending

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

Understand how to go beyond effectively communicating new security strategies and recommendations.

Register

Join us for an in depth exploration of the critical nature of software and vendor supply chain security issues with a focus on understanding how attacks against identity infrastructure come with major cascading effects.

Register

Expert Insights

Related Content

Cybercrime

Daniel Kelley was just 18 years old when he was arrested and charged on thirty counts – most infamously for the 2015 hack of...

Cybercrime

No one combatting cybercrime knows everything, but everyone in the battle has some intelligence to contribute to the larger knowledge base.

Cybercrime

The FBI dismantled the network of the prolific Hive ransomware gang and seized infrastructure in Los Angeles that was used for the operation.

Ransomware

The Hive ransomware website has been seized as part of an operation that involved law enforcement in 10 countries.

Privacy

Employees of Chinese tech giant ByteDance improperly accessed data from social media platform TikTok to track journalists in a bid to identify the source...

CISO Strategy

The SEC filed charges against SolarWinds and its CISO over misleading investors about its cybersecurity practices and known risks.

Cybercrime

A global cyber espionage campaign has resulted in the networks of many organizations around the world becoming compromised after the attackers managed to breach...

Ransomware

US government reminds the public that a reward of up to $10 million is offered for information on cybercriminals, including members of the Hive...