2 Arrested in Germany on Charges of Espionage in Kosovo
By DAVID RISING
Associated Press Writer
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Exceprt: BERLIN — Two men have been charged with espionage for allegedly feeding classified German government information to organized crime and foreign intelligence contacts in Macedonia and Kosovo, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
Anton Robert K., a 42-year-old German, allegedly passed along information while working at the German diplomatic mission in the Kosovo capital Pristina to Murat A., a 28-year-old Macedonian with ties to organized crime and "foreign intelligence," prosecutors said in a statement.
Both men, whose full names were not given, were arrested earlier this month in the Stuttgart area and indicted on the charges Tuesday before a federal judge, prosecutors said. Anton Robert K. faces a possible 10 years in prison if convicted on charges of betrayal of state secrets, while Murat A. faces a possible 5 years if convicted of receiving state secrets.
Questions: Why did the Germans make this arrest announcement now? What is the BfV hoping to accomplish? Who else is out there? Lots more questions -- it's intriguing.Sphere: Related Content
Thursday, March 19, 2009
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When the German Federal Prosecutor takes over a case, it is quite usual to inform the press as soon as formal charges are made. Neither mystery nor conspiracy here - apart from the obvious ;)
ReplyDeleteBy the way: if the connection to a foreign intelligence agency can be proven, the suspects face far more than 5-10 for betraying government secrets. Anton K. would face maximum charges (position of trust, foreign intelligence involvement) meaning anything from 1 year (minimum sentence) to life.
Coection (too quick again): since "endangeromg the peace" is not in the mix as of yet, the maximum sentence for Anton Robert K. would indeed be 10 years with a minimum of 1 year in prison. Sorry for that...
ReplyDeleteThanks for your excellent insights, Michael -- much appreciated. My experience with the relevant federal and land offices suggests that *sometimes* this information becomes public in a way that seeks to advance another facet of a larger operation. Speculative on my part, of course -- but these things often tend to be a bit more complicated than what comes out in press releases. :) Thanks again for the sentencing info.
ReplyDeleteOne doesn't necessarily preclude the other ;) - as you know better than most there are press releases and there are press releases. Not too long ago we saw another case like this, only that time three (alleged) BND agents were caught, more or less in the act. The subsequent feeding frenzy in the German press was a perfect example of "active public relations policy" on behalf of German intelligence - better a little scandal (they don't have that many anyway) than to face other possible consequences...
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