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Allegations that the BND has helped the NSA spy
on European officials and firms has put strains on Angela
Merkel's governing coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) and
could damage U.S. relations and even the conservative
chancellor's own popularity.
An INSA poll on Wednesday showed that 62 percent of Germans
think the BND row threatens Merkel's credibility. Ultimate
responsibility for the BND lies with her office.
The Sueddeutsche daily and WDR and NDR broadcasters reported
that the BND's station in Bad Aibling this week stopped sending
the NSA information garnered from Internet surveillance.
The step was taken after the NSA refused to provide clear
justification of each request for surveillance of individuals or
organizations, a condition agreed by the BND and chancellor's
office. The condition is already required for fax or phone
surveillance.
The BND and German government declined to comment.
Surveillance is a sensitive issue in Germany as a result of the
extensive snooping by the Stasi secret police in Communist East
Germany and by the Gestapo in the Nazi era.
Revelations by former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward
Snowden about wide-ranging NSA espionage in Germany caused
public outrage when they first surfaced a couple of years ago.
The SPD has put Merkel in the spotlight over the allegations and
wants the list of 'selectors' - IP addresses, search terms and
names - the BND had been tracking for the NSA made public. These
are widely seen as being crucial to establish whether the BND
was at fault in helping the NSA.
So far Merkel has ruled that out, saying it must be agreed with
the United States, and she has defended cooperating with U.S.
agencies to fight international terrorism. She says she would
answer questions by a German parliamentary committee.
A close Merkel ally, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, has
faced calls to resign but denies he lied to parliament over the
BND's cooperation with the NSA.
(Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Stephen Brown and
Gareth Jones)
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