German authorities arrest two on espionage charges

By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS | intelNews.org |
German federal authorities have announced the arrest of two men, one German and one Macedonian, who passed German classified information to the governments of Kosovo and Macedonia. Anton Robert K., 42, and Murat A., 28, were arrested in the German city of Stuttgart last Tuesday. Germany’s Federal Prosecution office alleges that German citizen “Anton Robert K.” regularly supplied “Murat A.” with sensitive German government documents during 2007 and 2008, while he served in Germany’s diplomatic mission in the Kosovar capital Pristina. “Murat A.” then allegedly gave the documents to organized crime syndicates as well as “state actors” in Kosovo and Macedonia. The Macedonian is alleged to have “intelligence ties” with both countries, but no other information about him has yet emerged. Germany’s intelligence presence in Kosovo is known to be significant. Last November, Kosovo Police arrested three Germans near the International Civilian Office, an urban landmark in Pristina that houses the office of the European Union’s special envoy. The three were summarily expelled after it was found that they were employees of Bundesnachrichtendienst, or BND, Germany’s foreign intelligence service.