German ex-spy agency official says there was 'no risk' passing CIA papers

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/18/germany-spy-bnd-cia-treason-trial

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A former employee of Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency, charged with treason for giving the CIA more than 300 secret documents, has told a court that lax controls meant he felt he was running no risk.

The man, identified only as Markus R, told the court the documents included a database on BND employees he found on a USB stick he took home. The documents were copied at work, scanned at home, and emailed to his CIA handlers, the court heard.

Prosecutors said he also passed three sensitive documents to the Russian consulate in Munich.

“There were checks, but those were only random and rare, so there was no risk at all,” he told the court in Munich.

“Above all I want to say that I am sorry for my actions,” the 32-year-old said, adding he did not do it for the money. “I did it because I wanted to have something different in my life.“

His arrest last year cooled relations between Nato allies Berlin and Washington and followed revelations the US National Security Agency (NSA) had snooped on Germany.

The man, who has suffered from a disability since early childhood that affects his mobility, is accused of passing information to the CIA from 2008 until mid-2014 in return for at least 95,000 euros ($100,000).

Known as Uwe to his handlers, named Alex and Craig, Markus R provided the Americans with details on the BND’s structure, key activities, deliberations and collaboration with foreign spy agencies, prosecutors say.

He was paid in batches of 10,000-20,000 euros in 100 euro bills hidden in packages, which he picked up from secret locations in Austria and in the German town of Gauting near Munich, prosecutors said.

They said the CIA gave him a notebook with a special email programme, which he used to provide the agency with almost weekly updates. In mid-2014, Markus R also handed over three documents to the Russian consulate in Munich, they said.

Arrested in July last year, he was charged on 11 August this year on two counts of treason, breaking official secrets and corruption. A guilty verdict could mean a life sentence.

The documents he passed to the Russian consulate in Munich also posed a security risk to Germany, prosecutors said.

Fugitive former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed two years ago the extent of US surveillance in Germany, which included bugging the phone of Chancellor Angela Merkel.