Russian ‘spies’ on trial in Germany
16 Jan 2013 6:57 AM IST
A couple accused of spying for the Russian secret services in Germany for more than 20 years went on trial on Tuesday, in one of the biggest spy cases since the Cold War.
The married couple, identified only by codenames Andreas and Heidrun Anschlag (‘attack’ in German), arrived in still divided Germany in 1988 and then 1990 respectively, posing as Austrian citizens of South American descent, federal prosecutors say.
They are accused of having obtained secret EU and NATO documents and allegedly were paid the equivalent of around 100,000 euros (USD 133,470) a year for their services.
Prosecutors say the couple set up a ‘middle-class existence’ to cover up their activity for the secret services. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung weekly, even their own daughter had no idea about their double lives.
The married couple, identified only by codenames Andreas and Heidrun Anschlag (‘attack’ in German), arrived in still divided Germany in 1988 and then 1990 respectively, posing as Austrian citizens of South American descent, federal prosecutors say.
They are accused of having obtained secret EU and NATO documents and allegedly were paid the equivalent of around 100,000 euros (USD 133,470) a year for their services.
Prosecutors say the couple set up a ‘middle-class existence’ to cover up their activity for the secret services. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung weekly, even their own daughter had no idea about their double lives.
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