Germany’s BND spying on Austria for years
Austrian media reports revealed that the German Foreign Intelligence Agency (BND) systematically spied on Austria between the year 1999 and 2006.
German Der Spiegel magazine posted Saturday: Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurtz and Austrian President Alexander Van der Belen would hold a press conference later Saturday to comment on the news.
According to the Austrian «Profil» magazine that the German Foreign Intelligence Agency has regularly monitored the telecommunications of the central facilities in Austria.
Der Spiegel, has previously published several reports on intelligence agency activities in friendly countries, including Austria.
The targets of espionage, numbering more than 2000 targets between 1999 and 2006, included international institutions of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The German newspaper «Der Standard» reported that the German intelligence agency was targeting ministries in Vienna, international companies, organizations and institutions, as well as individuals suspected of links to terrorism and arms trafficking.
German intelligence has also reported spying on several companies, prompting questions about the involvement of the German intelligence agency in activities beyond its scope to extend to economic activities aimed at gaining a competitive edge for German enterprises.
Spying included small businesses, including drones, arms factories, aluminum companies, timber trade and heat pump plants, according to the magazine.
It’s worth mentioning that German Der Spiegel magazine, posted before that Germany’s foreign intelligence service, also long spied on numerous official and business targets in the US, including the White House.
