US National Security Agency Eavesdropped on Merkel and Other Major European Politicians from 2012 to 2014

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany [Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Reports have emerged that the United States used Denmark's surveillance network in the past to eavesdrop on European political leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

According to foreign media such as AFP on the 30th (local time), Danish public broadcaster DR reported that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) was found to have eavesdropped on top-level politicians and senior government officials in Germany, Sweden, Norway, and France from 2012 to 2014. DR stated that the NSA, using security cooperation with Denmark's Military Intelligence Service (FE), was able to access not only text messages (SMS) and phone calls but also internet searches, chats, and messaging apps. The surveillance targets reportedly included German Chancellor Merkel, then-German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and then-German opposition leader Peer Steinbr?ck.

It has not been confirmed whether the Danish government approved U.S. access to its surveillance network. However, an internal confidential FE report revealed that U.S. surveillance was shared under the codename "Dunhammer operation," and this report was submitted to the highest levels in May 2015.

DR said it obtained this information from nine individuals with access to FE confidential documents and confirmed it through multiple other sources. Additionally, DR reported that it collaborated with Swedish public broadcaster SVT, Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, German public broadcasters Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) and Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), S?ddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), and French daily Le Monde to cover this story.

Trine Bramsen, Denmark's Minister of Defense, commented on the report, stating, "Systematic eavesdropping on close allies is unacceptable." Bramsen, who took office in June 2019, is known to have been informed of the U.S. surveillance in August of last year.

DR also reported last November that the U.S. conducted espionage activities targeting not only Denmark but also European defense industry officials for three years starting in 2012 by using Danish communications.

If this report proves true, it means that the NSA continued surveillance to some extent even after Edward Snowden's revelations that the U.S. indiscriminately collected personal information of its citizens following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Snowden, a former CIA employee who also worked at the NSA, caused a global uproar in June 2013 by leaking confidential documents detailing the NSA's indiscriminate collection of personal data.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.