German spy chief Gerhard Schindler resigns

Baku. 27 April. REPORT.AZ/ The head of Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency is being pushed out of his job, government sources have said, in a surprise move that comes at a time when Germany faces a growing threat from Islamic militants, Report informs referring to the BBC.

It was not immediately clear why Gerhard Schindler, who has led Germany’s version of the US Central Intelligence Agency since 2012, was being removed two years before he reaches retirement age.

Schindler, 63, came under pressure a year ago when it emerged that the BND had gone against German interests and spied on European partners at the request of the US National Security Agency.

But he appeared to have weathered that scandal after promising to centralise control over BND field offices, which he admitted had taken on a “life of their own”.

Schindler’s dismissal comes after Islamic State militant attacks in Brussels last month and in Paris last November raised questions about European intelligence cooperation. Germany, which has not suffered a major attack by Islamic militants on its soil, is supplying weapons and logistical support to local forces fighting the militant group in Syria and Iraq and has been declared a primary target.