Referenews

The arrest is a blow for the German government, which under Chancellor

Olaf Scholz

has sought to pivot away from years of Russia-friendly policies under his predecessor

Angela Merkel.

The Green and Free Democratic Parties, coalition partners to Mr. Scholz’s center-left Social Democratic Party, in particular, have replaced dozens of senior civil servants in the ministries they occupy, in part because of their positions friendly to Russia.

Wednesday’s arrest goes much further, however, with the general prosecutor saying Carsten L. was suspected of treason.

In a short statement, the prosecutor said the suspect had allegedly passed state secrets acquired through his work on to a Russian intelligence service in the course of the year. 

It is unclear how sensitive the documents were or what topic they related to. 

“In this particular case, restraint and discretion are extremely important,” BND President

Bruno Kahl

said in a rare public statement. “Russia is an actor without scruples and willing to use violence.”

The agency said it had launched an internal investigation into Carsten L. after suspecting he was acting as a double agent. When these suspicions hardened, it requested the help of the general prosecutor’s office. 

Beyond detaining the suspect on Wednesday, officers of the Federal Criminal Office, Germany’s equivalent of the FBI, had searched his workplace and residence as well as the office and apartment of another person, the prosecutor said. The BND said searches had taken place on BND premises in two separate locations. 

In 2016, a junior member of the BND was sentenced by a Munich court to eight years in prison for selling information to the U.S. and offering to spy for Russia.

Arrests for spying are relatively frequent in Germany. In August last year, German police detained a locally hired British employee of the U.K. Embassy in Berlin on suspicion of spying for Russia.

Earlier that year, a Russian employee of a German university was detained on suspicion of having worked for a Russian spy agency.

In February 2020, a man working as a contractor for the German parliament was arrested on suspicion of having supplied blueprints of government offices to a member of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency based in the Russian Embassy.

Berlin has sought to degrade Russia’s intelligence capabilities since Moscow’s attack on Ukraine. In April, following reports of war crimes committed by Russian troops in Ukraine, the German Foreign Office expelled 40 Russian diplomats suspected of working for the country’s many intelligence outfits. 

Write to Bertrand Benoit at Bertrand.Benoit@wsj.com