A British man has been arrested in Germany on suspicion of spying for Russia. German federal prosecutors said the suspect had worked at the British embassy and is known only as David S – according to media reports.
In an alleged exchange with Russian intelligence, he is reported to have passed a number of documents in return for “an unknown amount” of money.
He was arrested on Tuesday in Potsdam, a city on the border of Berlin and his home and workplace have been searched.
A spokesman for Germany’s foreign ministry quoted by AFP news agency said Berlin was taking the case “very seriously”, and said spying by “a close alliance partner on German soil is unacceptable”.
The arrest of the 57-year-old British national in Germany was the result of a joint UK-German investigation, and has been confirmed by London’s Metropolitan Police. The Counter Terrorism Command is also involved in the case.
German authorities are leading the investigation, but officers will continue to work with German counterparts.
The man is due to appear before an investigating judge on Wednesday.
Prosecutors in the case said he was hired as a local staff member at the embassy.
German and UK relations with Russia is already strained after several high-profile incidents in recent years. The most notable of these is the nerve agent attack against Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal – an accusation Russia has repeatedly denied.
Sergei Viktorovich Skripal was a former Russian military intelligence officer who acted as a double agent for the UK’s intelligence services during the 1990s and early 2000s.
Both survived the attack, however, Dawn Sturgess, 44, died after coming into contact with a perfume bottle that was thought to have been used in the attack.
Germany also treated Russian dissident Alexei Navalny after he was poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent on a Russian flight last year.
The Russian authorities have also repeatedly denied any involvement in this incident.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Joe Biden vowed to stand together “against Russian aggression” last month.
