According to police, a German citizen has been detained for allegedly aiding a representative of a foreign intelligence service in passing on state secrets to Russia.
Carsten L., a BND employee from Germany, was arrested last month on suspicion of providing Russian secret services with intelligence while at work.
Authorities have not provided many details about the case, but media sources imply that he had access to sensitive data collected through BND wiretaps around the world.
The federal prosecutors’ office reported that a second individual, Arthur E., was detained on Sunday as he arrived from the United States at Munich airport.
By assisting Carsten L. in sending the material to Russia, he is charged with complicity in treason.
According to a statement from the prosecution, “Arthur E. took the information to Russia and handed it over to the intelligence service there.”
He does not work for the BND, it added.
The BND and the FBI in the US worked closely with prosecutors to conduct their investigation.
Berlin previously called the situation “alarming,” and it comes at a time when there are more worries than ever about Russian espionage in Europe following the conflict in Ukraine.
A German man who was a reserve officer for the German army was given a suspended sentence in November for providing information to Russian intelligence agents.
Arne Schoenbohm, the head of cybersecurity for Germany, was fired in October after claims of connections to Russian intelligence services were made public by a television satirical programme.
READ MORE: Judge Tarek Bitar is charged by Lebanon’s chief prosecutor