The United States spied on politicians in Europe, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, from 2012 to 2014 with the help of Danish intelligence services, Danish and European media including Le Monde reported on Sunday.
Danish public broadcaster Danmarks Radio (DR) reported that the US National Security Agency (NSA) tapped into Danish submarine telecommunications cables to spy on prominent officials and senior officials in Germany, in Sweden, Norway and France.
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Among those spied on in this way are German Chancellor Angela Merkel as well as two former chancellor candidates Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Peer Steinbrück.
As well as parliamentarians and senior officials from several European countries: French, German, Norwegian and Swedish.
To do this, the NSA benefited from the collaboration of the Danish military intelligence services.
Danish Defense Minister Trine Bramsen, who was appointed in June 2019, was briefed on the case in August 2020. She told reporters that "
systematic spying by allies is unacceptable
".
The NSA was able to access text messages, phone calls, and internet traffic, including searches, chats, and messaging services, of people being spied on.
The NSA spying was reported in an internal Danish service report codenamed "
Operation Dunhammer
" and presented to management in May 2015. The Copenhagen service began investigating in 2013 following Edward's revelations. Snowden on the practices of the US Federal Agency.
Danish journalists said their information was confirmed by nine sources who had access to classified information, and said their disclosures were independently confirmed by several other sources.
In November 2020, the same public television had already reported that the United States had used Danish cables to spy on Danish and European defense industries from 2012 to 2015.