Report Says UK Operates 'Electronic Spy Posts' in Germany

A British newspaper says leaked Snowden documents reveal the UK operates a top-secret listening post in Berlin. Mana Rabiee reports.

Published

6 months ago

Categories

World, US

Topics

Europe, International Relations, Surveillance, US Politics

People

Angela Merkel, John Kerry, Edward Snowden

Places

United States of America, Germany, Poland, Berlin, United Kingdom

Transcript

More allegations of spying in Europe. The Independent newspaper reports that Britain's spy agency operates a network of electronic listening posts to eavesdrop on the "seat of German power". It's happening just a stone's throw from the German Parliament and the offices of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Those allegations published on Tuesday, based on documents leaked by former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. But the reports also says Britain's spy agency, known as GCHQ, along with the U.S. and what the paper says are "other key partners" operate an even broader network of surveillance from diplomatic buildings around the world. In Berlin, GCHQ reportedly uses hi-tech equipment housed on the roof of its embassy to intercept the data. In Poland, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry tried to focus attention to something else, saying the row over spying shouldn't cloud next week's planned trade talks with the European Union. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY, SAYING: "This is about jobs, it's about the economy, it's about economic competition in a global community that competes, sometimes by rules that are very questionable and shaky." Tuesday's report prompted Germany's Foreign Ministry to summon the British ambassador for an explanation. The summons comes just when there's already anger over earlier allegations that the U.S. monitored Chancellor Merkel's mobile phone.