German intelligence spied on Interpol

Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency spied on the Interpol international police agency for years and on the group's country liaison offices in dozens of countries such as Austria, Greece and the United States, a German magazine said.

No comment was immediately available from the BND, Interpol or Europol.

Der Spiegel magazine, citing documents it had seen, said the BND had added the email addresses, phone numbers and fax numbers of the police investigators to its sector surveillance list.

In addition, the German spy agency also monitored the Europol police agency Europol which is based in The Hague, the magazine said.

Der Spiegel reported in February that the BND also spied on the phones, faxes and emails of several news organisations, including the New York Times and Reuters.

Meanwhile, Der Spiegel magazine reported yesterday thousands of former Taliban fighters may have entered Germany over the past two years among an influx of more than a million migrants and refugees.

Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) informed security officials that thousands of migrants had identified themselves as former Taliban insurgents during the asylum application process, the magazine said.