U.S. 'spied' on Merkel and other Europeans

U.S. 'spied' on Merkel and other Europeans

The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) used a partnership with Denmark's foreign intelligence unit to spy on senior officials of neighboring countries, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Danish state broadcaster DR said.

Emily Wither reports.

Denmark helped the U.S. spy on Europe including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

That’s according to Danish state broadcaster DR who reported the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) used a partnership with Denmark's foreign intelligence unit to spy on senior officials of neighboring countries.

The findings are the result of a 2015 internal investigation in the Danish Defence Intelligence Service into NSA's role in the partnership.

It covered the period from 2012 to 2014 and said the NSA used Danish information cables to spy on senior officials in Sweden, Norway, France, and Germany.

DR cited nine unnamed sources with access to the investigation.

This isn’t the first time allegations like this have emerged.

In 2013 the U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden alleged tapping of the German chancellor's phone by the NSA.

The internal investigation in the Danish Defence Intelligence Service was launched in 2014 following these leaks about how the NSA works.

The German government says it’s following up on the report.

While the Danish Defence Minister declined to comment on "speculation" about intelligence matters in the media.

The media report said the NSA intercepted calls, texts, and chat messages to and from telephones of officials in the neighboring countries.

In Washington, the NSA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) declined to comment.