NATO Worker Accused of Espionage at US Air Base

U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Caitlin O'Neil-McKeown(WASHINGTON) -- German police have arrested a 60-year-old NATO employee who worked at an American air base for allegedly copying classified NATO information and stealing “state secrets,” a German prosecutor’s office announced today.

The suspect, identified only as Manfred K., is accused of having copied classified data he accessed through his civilian position with NATO at Ramstein Air Base “with the intention of passing the obtained data on to unauthorized third parties,” according to a translation of the German prosecutor’s statement by Agence France-Presse.

The statement did not give any more information about Manfred K., the level of intelligence to which he may have had access or his intended customer.

A NATO spokesperson confirmed the arrest but declined to provide any further details, citing an ongoing investigation.

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