Germany arrests two men in Kosovo espionage affair
A former German spy has been arrested on charges that he passed on state secrets to his lover, a man with ties to organized crime.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Friday, March 27, 2009
Anton Robert K., a 42-year-old German, was arrested last week because he allegedly passed on classified information while working in Germany's diplomatic mission in Pristina, Kosovo, in 2007 and 2008.
Police also arrested the alleged receiver of the state secrets, a Macedonian man identified only as Murat A. The man, 28 years old at the time, worked as a translator for the German mission but still maintained ties to organized crime and other intelligence services.
The Berliner Zeitung reports that Anton Robert K. was working for the Bundesnachrichtendienst, a German spy service; he had an affair with his translator before diverting the state secrets. Anton Robert K. knew that Murat A. would pass on the intelligence to organized crime, and even to foreign services, the newspaper reported.
If convicted, Anton Robert K. faces up to 10 years in prison. Murat A. faces a five-year sentence.
