Berlin denies report of German national's arrest on spying charge
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Berlin, July 28, IRNA -- The German government on Wednesday denied reports that one of its citizens had been arrested in Lebanon on suspicion of spying for Israel.
Talking at a routine weekly press briefing, a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said Manfred Peter Mog, who had worked for a dairy company in eastern Lebanon, had neither been arrested nor have there been any legal proceedings launched against the 58-year-old engineer.
The German official did acknowledge however that Mog was interrogated by Lebanese authorities but did not provide any details on the questioning.
Asked whether the German national was allowed to depart Lebanon, the foreign ministry spokesperson replied that Mog had "no plans at the moment to leave Lebanon."
Media reports said Tuesday Lebanese army intelligence arrested Mog on charges of spying for Israel.
Mog, who worked at the dairy factory Liban Lait, near the ancient city of Baalbeck, had been in charge of the maintenance of all equipment in the facility, according to the German press agency DPA.
Lebanese security sources were quoted saying Tuesday Mog had been questioned about sophisticated transmitters in his possession.
The factory where Mog worked was destroyed during the July 2006 Israeli conflict with Lebanon.
Around 70 people have been arrested in Lebanon on charges of spying for Israel over the last year.
Last week the Lebanese cabinet unanimously agreed to file a complaint with the UN Security Council against Israel, over alleged spy rings uncovered in Lebanon.
Israel has yet to respond on any of the Lebanese charges.
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