Last week the Bavarian Polizei raided the homes and offices of “Dieter S” and “Alexander J”, two men allegedly plotting to sabotage two US military bases in Germany. According to Der Spiegel, the facilities included the Grafenwöhr army base, where Ukrainian soldiers are training to use US M1 Abrams tanks.
“Dieter S” was charged with "conspiring to cause an explosive attack and arson, acting as an agent for sabotage purposes and security-endangering collection of intelligence on military installations." His accomplice, “Alexander J”, is accused of “espionage on behalf of a foreign service”. By German law, they were immediately brought before a magistrate within 24 hours.
Bavarian prosecutors stated “Dieter S” had been in contact with a person connected to the “Russian secret service" since October 2023. They emphasized that he was “willing to use explosion and arson attacks, especially on infrastructure used for military purposes and industrial sites in Germany to undermine military support for Ukraine.” Both saboteurs have been rendered ineffective.
South of Germany, the Austrian Polizei arrested a former intelligence officer last month, thanks to a British intelligence tip-off to a trustworthy counterpart in Vienna. This shocking case exposed extensive Russian infiltration and lax official oversight of Austria’s security services.
An 86-page page arrest warrant alleges that Egisto Ott provided cellphone data of former high-ranking Austrian officials to Russian intelligence, helped plan a burglary at a prominent journalist’s apartment, and made “suggestions for improvement” after a Russian-ordered assassination in Germany.
While any sabotage against US bases was prevented in Germany, the fall-out from the arrest of Egisto Ott in neutral Austria is substantial. Vienna (and NATO capital Brussels) are international hotbeds of intelligence and counterintelligence (CI) activities, and Ott disclosed Austrian tradecraft techniques to the Kremlin (amongst a treasure trove of other state secrets). The damage assessment from Egisto Ott’s nefarious operations will be time-consuming for the USIC, MI6, and our other NATO partners.
Meanwhile, the FBI is still apprehending January 6 neanderthal insurrectionists (thanks to the 45th President) and dealing with growing Chinese espionage in the US (opening up two credible CI investigations a day), on top of the pernicious Russian intelligence threat to America.
Sources: www.dw.com/...
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www.telegraph.co.uk/…
www.bbc.com/...