– Angela Merkel's mobile phone was monitored through the US embassy in Berlin
– As the Suddeutsche Zeitung reveals, such monitoring centers exist in all American embassies
– It is called the Special Collection Center and operates under the responsibility of the US National Intelligence Service (NSA) and the CIA
The monitoring of Angela Merkel's mobile phone by American intelligence services was carried out by the US embassy in Berlin, according to a report in the Suddeutsche Zeitung today.
“The surveillance was carried out by a surveillance center called the Special Collection Service, under the responsibility of the US National Intelligence Service (NSA) and the CIA and operating “in US embassies and consulates around the world, usually under conditions of secrecy,” the publication states, which is based on information from documents leaked by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.
In Berlin, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle demanded “full and honest” explanations for these accusations from the US ambassador, whom he summoned to the Foreign Ministry.
However, the information leaked by Snowden to Der Spiegel magazine, and presented to the German government at the end of last week, does not allow for a precise date for when Angela Merkel's mobile phone was monitored, reports the Suddeutsche Zeitung.
The suspicions of the German Chancellor's telephone communications being monitored by US intelligence services, revealed by the German government, caused shock in Germany, while Angela Merkel yesterday asked Barack Obama for explanations in Brussels, where she is participating in the European summit, warning of a "serious blow to the relationship of trust" between the two allied countries if these suspicions prove true.
In Berlin, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle demanded "full and honest" explanations for these accusations from the US ambassador, whom he summoned to the Foreign Ministry.
Source: newsit.gr
