Espionage Arrests
March 19, 2009
The Federal Prosecutor's Office in the German city of Karlsruhe alleges that Anton Robert K., 42, passed on the sensitive state data in 2007 and 2008 to a 28-year-old Macedonian man named Murat A.
The Macedonian is believed to have organized crime and “foreign intelligence” ties, German prosecutors said. They claim the data swapped hands while Anton K. was working at the German diplomatic mission in the Kosovo capital Pristina.
Prosecutors said Anton K. was aware of Murat A.'s alleged mob connections when he handed over the information.
The men were arrested in Stuttgart on Tuesday and brought before a magistrate's court the following day.
Anton K. could face 10 years in prison if found guilty on charges of betrayal of state secrets, while Murat A. faces a possible five years for accepting state secrets.