Germany describes UK/US global spying operation as disaster

The German government angrily challenges the UK government over the Tempora spying scandal

The German government has angrily challenged UK ministers over the whole Government Communications Headquarters’ (GCHQ) Project Tempora, which monitors global phones and internet traffic.

German justice minister, Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, described the UK/US operation as a disaster that sounded "like a Hollywood nightmare”.

Schnarrenberger also warned UK ministers that free and democratic societies could not thrive when nations shielded their activities in a “veil of secrecy”.

On Tuesday, the German justice minister sent two letters to Britain’s home secretary Theresa May and justice secretary Chris Grayling, expressing the widespread growing concern the secret operation has caused in Germany and urging to be told about the extent to which German citizens have been targeted.

This is the first main challenge that British Prime Minister David Cameron and his government must face, publicly justifying the mass probe operation, which was leaked by the former US intelligence contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel showed her aggravation that many of the questions raised by the revelations made by Snowden have gone unanswered by the involved US government.

The Guardian newspaper’s exposure of GCHQ's secret decision to use more than 200 probes to tap into the transatlantic cables to monitor and store up to 30 days of the world's telephone and global traffic has fuelled outrage in Germany and other European countries.

BGH/MOL/HE