Danish and American intelligence spied on German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Former Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and former opposition politician Per Steinbrueck were wiretapped by Danes and Americans. This is evident from a research published on Sunday evening by Danish public radio d, who collaborated with German, Norwegian, Swedish and French media.
Politicians from other European countries, including Denmark, have also been spied on by the US National Security Agency. For this purpose, the service used the European network of Internet cables, which runs through Germany, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. It is said that Danish intelligence helped the NSA because the important nodes of the Internet are located in Denmark, where many cables gather. Emails, text messages and phone conversations over cables were intercepted. According to the doctor, the Danish government has been aware of this since 2015.
Read also The NSA also heard German ministers in addition to Merkel. (2015)
In the German media, former opposition politician Steinbrück reacted with displeasure at the revelations. He described the espionage practices as a “political scandal”. According to Steinbrück, it is “absurd” that Western countries “turn on themselves” through intelligence services. The Danish defense minister said he couldn’t say anything to the doctor about the secret services’ efforts. Merkel’s spokesman told international news agencies that the German government was asking for clarification from all national and international authorities, but the chancellor himself said he could not comment further on the work of the intelligence services.
