A German intelligence agent suspected of passing information to Russia was arrested Wednesday in Berlin, federal prosecutors said Thursday, AFP and Agerpres reported.

German policePhoto: dpa picture alliance / Alamy / Profimedia

German citizen Carsten L., an agent of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), is suspected of “high treason,” the prosecutor’s office in Karlsruhe wrote, indicating that it had searched his apartment and workplace, as well as that of another person.

“In 2022, he passed on information gathered during his work to the Russian intelligence service,” the federal prosecutor’s office in Karlsruhe, which specializes in espionage cases, said.

“The investigation was conducted in close cooperation with the BND,” the prosecutor’s office added.

The suspect was brought to the judge and remanded in custody.

In recent years, several cases of espionage involving Russia have been revealed in Germany

“In this particular case, restraint and prudence are very important. With Russia, we are dealing, in the opposite camp, with an actor whose lack of scruples and propensity for violence should be taken into account,” Bruno Kahl, president of the BND, commented in a press release.

“Every detail made public in this case is an advantage for this adversary in his intention to harm Germany,” he added.

In recent years, several cases of espionage involving Russia have been discovered in Germany, as well as in other European countries. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the intelligence services increased their level of readiness even more.

On November 18, a German reserve officer received a suspended prison term of one year and nine months in Dusseldorf for spying for Russia.