The Defence Intelligence Service (FE) collaborated with the US National Security Agency (NSA) to spy on European politicians including Angela Merkel, Danish state broadcaster DR (Danmarks Radio) said. The US gathered information on Merkel and other EU politicians from 2012 to 2014.
DR cited nine unnamed sources familiar with the investigation and added that the findings were the result of a 2015 internal investigation in the Danish Defence Intelligence Service into NSA's role in the partnership.
A classified report on the FE’s role in the surveillance partnership agreement with the NSA from 2012 to 2014 contain allegations that the two agencies collaborated to spy on senior leaders from Sweden, Norway and France. As per the report, former German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and former German opposition leader Peer Steinbrück were also spied upon. As per the report, subsea internet cables to and from Gerrmany, Holland, France, Sweden, Norway and Britain and key landing stations were used to spy on the senior politicians. An NSA-developed analysis software known as Xkeyscore, was used to intercept chats, messages and phone calls.
Danish Defence Minister Trine Bramsen declined to comment; so did the NSA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. When US whistleblower Edward Snowden alleged that the NSA tapped Merkel’s phone, the White House instead of denying it outright said that Merkel’s phone wasn’t being bugged at the time and it won’t happen in the future.
Steinmeier and Merkel’s spokesperson said they were not aware of Danish involvement until the report by the DR report came out. Last August the head of the Danish Defence Intelligence Service and three officials from the agency were suspended after they were accused of serious wrongdoings by an independent board, that centred around the 2015 investigation.
France’s Minister for European Affairs Clément Beaune told The Guardian that the reports were ‘extremely serious'. Norwegian Defence Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen said that he took the allegations seriously, while Swedish Defence Minister Peter Hultgyist said that he ‘demanded full information.’
