The defendant, an employee of the Federal Intelligence Service, is suspected of treason.
Credit: Christophe Gateau/AP
Berlin (CNN) --
A German citizen working for the country's foreign intelligence service was arrested Wednesday on charges of spying for Russia, according to Germany's federal attorney general's office.
"The defendant is an urgent suspect of treason," said an Attorney General's press release about the defendant, named Carsten L.
The defendant, an employee of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), was accused in the arrest warrant of the following facts: "In 2022, he transmitted information that he had obtained in the course of his professional activities to a Russian intelligence service. The content is a state secret within the meaning of article 93 of the Penal Code," according to the statement.
The defendant, an employee of the Federal Intelligence Service, is suspected of treason.
Credit: Christophe Gateau/AP
It was not immediately clear if an attorney had been appointed for him.
CNN requested a response in this regard from the German Attorney General's Office.
The police searched the homes and workplaces of the defendant and another suspect.
The investigation was carried out in close collaboration with the BND.
The defendant appeared this Thursday before the investigating judge of the Federal Supreme Court, who ordered his entry into preventive detention.
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In an annual speech outlining the threats to Britain, the director general of the UK's security service declared in November that 600 Russian officials had been expelled from Europe this year, 400 of whom his agency considered spies.
Norwegian police detained an academic claiming to be a Brazilian citizen in October on suspicion of secretly spying for Russia, according to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.
In June, the Dutch authorities claimed to have thwarted an attempt by a Russian spy to gain access to the International Criminal Court (ICC) by posing as an intern.
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