The phones of German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and those of many of his ministry staff were systematically tapped by the US National Security Agency (NSA) in an eavesdropping operation that began at least 15 years ago, Mediapart can reveal in this report in collaboration with WikiLeaks. Confidential NSA documents obtained by WikiLeaks also disclose how Steinmeier, during his first term as foreign minister in 2005, “appeared relieved” to have been spared details of infamous rendition flights operated by the US over German airspace. Jérôme Hourdeaux and Mathieu Magnaudeix report.
Professional landline and mobile phones of German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, along with the phones of his ministry’s key staff, were systematically tapped by the US National Security Agency (NSA) Mediapart can reveal, in a report in cooperation with whistleblower website WikiLeaks, French daily Libération and German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung.
