Live
Audio Only
WikiLeaks released documents Wednesday showing the NSA snooping on German Chancellor Merkel and tapping more than 125 phones for senior officials.
The United States National Security Agency spied on the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, dozens of her aids as well as the staff of her predecessors, the whistleblower group WikiLeaks said in a statement Wednesday.
Newsletter
RELEASE: All the Chancellor's Men: The Merkel NSA target list https://t.co/DVf61ZocIr pic.twitter.com/zB9dia2Tpr
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks)
July 8, 201
The group released three NSA interceptions of Chancellor Merkel’s communications with her staff in 2009 and 2011 over the international economic crisis and the eurozone financial crisis, respectively.
The third intercept was communications between Merkel and the United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Shaykh Muhammad bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan in 2009 over U.S. President Barack Obama's views on Iran.
RELATED: Timeline: Julian Assange, Wikileaks and Ecuador
WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange said: "There is now proof enough of NSA surveillance on German soil. It is time to reopen the investigation and for the NSA to stop engaging in its illegal activities against Germany."
Moreover, the group said the NSA spied on more than 125 phone numbers that belonged to senior officials in the German government.
“Washington has been tapping not only the numbers for Chancellor Merkel, but also for her top officials, her aides, her chief of staff, her political office and even her fax machine,” WikiLeaks said.
RELEASE: NSA high priority German targets incl. 56 selectors for Merkel and Chancellery | https://t.co/rF2EGOESBo pic.twitter.com/Q21epDu7Jc
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks)
July 8, 201
In its press release, the group also said NSA's snooping predated Merkel as the agency spied on the staffs of her predecessors.
“The names associated with some of the targets indicate that spying on the Chancellery predates Angela Merkel as it includes staff of former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (in office 1998–2002), and his predecessor Helmut Kohl.”
Meanwhile, a recent report by the Intercept suggested that the NSA spied on German journalists and took action to silence their sources.
These new revelations come few weeks after WikiLeaks released documents that showed the NSA snooping on three French presidents including current President Francois Hollande.
