German Cyber Security Agency chief dismissed, suspected of links to Russian services

Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Fyser fired Arne Schönbohm from the post of head of the agency BSI, German news agency dpa reported.

Schönbohm co-founded a cyber security group a decade ago that brought together experts from public institutions and the private sector.

German media have reported that one of its members is a company founded by a former Russian intelligence agent and that Schönbohm was believed to have maintained relations with the group, Euronews writes, broadcast Klankosova.tv.

The German government said more than a week ago that it was investigating reports in a comprehensive manner.

“These charges must be closely investigated,” said last Monday Konstantin von Notz, head of the parliamentary surveillance commission for German intelligence agencies.

There is growing concern in Germany that the country's critical infrastructure may be targeted by Russia because of Berlin's support for Ukraine something BSI has warned about recently.

The charges against Schönbohm came as German police were investigating an act of “sabotage” in the country's railway infrastructure, with several officials pointing fingers from Russia following the Nord Stream gas pipeline blasts.

Important communication cables were cut off in two locations on October 8th, forcing railway services in the north to stop for three hours and causing travel chaos for thousands of passengers. BS