Merkel Orders Spying on US, Britain

(FNA)- German Chancellor Angela Merkel ordered the country's intelligence service to spy on the United States and Britain following revelations about US spying on Germany.

"This is the first time since World War II that Germany has ordered its foreign intelligence service, the BND, to monitor British and US activities on its territory," press tv reported.

According to the new directive, intelligence operations on countries considered to be allies will now use the same counter-espionage procedures that are used for countries regarded as non-allies.

Earlier this month, German prosecutors revealed that they had arrested a BND employee over spying for the US.

German government sources said the employee was suspected of having spied on a parliamentary inquiry in Berlin into US surveillance on German citizens and politicians.

German federal prosecutors also opened a criminal investigation last month into US surveillance of Merkel's mobile phone.

The German probes came in the wake of last year's revelations by US whistleblower Edward Snowden about US and UK spying activities.

Leaked documents released last October revealed that the US National Security Agency (NSA) had been tapping Merkel's phone, which provoked outrage in Germany.

Snowden's leaked documents also showed that Britain had been operating a covert listening post within a stone's throw of Germany's parliament, and Merkel's offices in the Chancellery, using hi-tech equipment housed on the embassy roof.