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Germany to sack cybersecurity chief over involvement with Russian intelligence

Updated on: 10 October 2022

Reuters

Arne Schoenbohm sacked — Image by Reuters, Fabrizio Bensch.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wants to dismiss the country's cybersecurity chief due to possible contacts with people involved with Russian security services, German media reported late on Sunday, citing government sources.

Arne Schoenbohm, president of the BSI federal information security agency, could have had such contacts through the Cyber Security Council of Germany, various outlets reported.

According to Reuters, Schoenbohm was a founder of the association, which counts as a member a German company that is a subsidiary of a Russian cybersecurity firm founded by a former KGB employee, they wrote.

Schoenbohm did not immediately reply to a message sent to him via social media. Neither the interior ministry nor the BSI immediately replied to requests for comment.

"These accusations must be decisively investigated," said Konstantin von Notz, the head of the parliamentary oversight committee for Germany’s intelligence agencies.