'Germany unrivaled as NSA spying host in Europe'
Iran Press TV
Thu Jun 19, 2014 6:51AM GMT
A new report reveals that secret spying operations by the United States have been much more widespread in Germany than previously thought, raising questions about Berlin's possible complicity in the operations.
The report, published by the German daily Der Spiegel on Wednesday, is based on classified documents exposed by American whistleblower Edward Snowden.
The article exposed that the US National Security Agency (NSA) has developed an "increasingly intimate relationship with Germany over the past 13 years while massively expanding its presence" in the European country.
"No other country in Europe plays host to a secret NSA surveillance architecture comparable to the one in Germany," the article added.
According to the report, the data collected by the American agency from its sites across Germany was used in controversial US "Capture or Kill" operations against suspected militants.
The European Technical Center (ETC) is considered as one of the key NSA bases, which is located in the city of Wiesbaden, southwestern Germany, the report further pointed out.
Referring to the NSA's relationship with its German partner, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), the Spiegel article also noted that the cooperation appears to be growing, adding that "the exchange of data, spying tools and know-how is much more intense" than previous estimates.
In June 2013, Snowden leaked top secret US government spying programs, under which the NSA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had been eavesdropping on millions of American and European phone records and internet data.
The NSA scandal took even broader dimensions when Snowden revealed information about the organization's espionage activities targeting 'friendly' countries and their leaders.
SSM/HMV
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