European countries have pressured the United States and Denmark over reports that the two worked together to spy on top European politicians, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The Danish broadcaster DR said that the Danish Defense Intelligence Service (FE) cooperated with the US National Security Agency (NSA) to gather information from 2012 to 2014.
Mrs Merkel is one of the demanding answers. Both the FE and the NSA have not yet commented.
Denmark has not confirmed or denied the allegations.
Merkel said she agreed with Macron’s comments, but was also reassured by the Danish defense minister’s condemnation.
Intelligence was allegedly collected on other officials from Germany, France, Sweden and Norway. These nations have also called for explanations.
The Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg told NRK: “It is unacceptable if countries that have close allied cooperation feel the need to spy on each other.”
The alleged setting is said in the report to have been given the code name “Operation Dunhammer”, allowed the NSA to collect data using phone numbers for politicians as search parameters, according to DR.
DR interviewed nine sources, all of whom are said to have had access to classified information held by FE.
Together with Mrs Merkel, the then German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the opposition leader at the time, Peer Steinbrck, are also said to have been targeted. Similar accusations emerged in 2013. At that time, the White House did not give a direct denial, but said that Merkel’s phone was not incorrect right now and would not be in the future.
Copyright (c) Novinite.com. Published with permission via the news agency Big News Network
Source: sn.dk