Berlin denies reports of German who spied for Israel in Lebanon
Denial follows news that Lebanese security questioned dairy plant engineer about sophisticated transmitters in his possession.
By DPA Tags: Israel news LebanonThe German government on Wednesday denied reports that one of its nationals had been arrested in Lebanon on suspicion of spying for Israel.
A spokesman for the foreign ministry in Berlin said that there had been "no proceedings" instigated against Manfred Peter Mog, 58, an engineer who had worked for a dairy company in eastern Lebanon.
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Israel-Lebanon border |
| Photo by: Archive |
According to reports Tuesday, Lebanese army intelligence arrested the man on charges of spying for Israel.
The Berlin spokesman said that Mog had been questioned by Lebanese authorities, but was had not been arrested or otherwise detained.
Mog, who worked at the dairy factory Liban Lait, near the ancient city of Baalbeck, had been in charge of the maintenance of all equipment in the facility.
Lebanese security sources said Tuesday that Mog had been questioned about sophisticated transmitters in his possession.
The foreign ministry in Berlin gave no further details of his questioning.
The factory where Mog worked was destroyed during the July 2006 Israeli conflict with Lebanon.
In the past year around 70 people have been arrested in Lebanon on charges of spying for Israel.
Last week the Lebanese cabinet unanimously agreed to file a complaint with the UN Security Council against Israel, over alleged spy rings uncovered in Lebanon.
Israel has not commented on any of the Lebanese charges.
The 13-member Hezbollah bloc in the Lebanese parliament stressed "the need to uncover and execute individuals charged with collaborating with Israel."
Under Lebanese law, convicted spies face life in prison with hard labor or the death penalty if found guilty.
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What nonsense ! A German would never spy for Israel. We know that you would be traded-off for some info the moSSad wants. The Germans like the Arabs, always have. We would treat them better than 'some people we know', wink, wink.
He got in touch with Israeli agents who were happy to subsidise. Baalbak is a second home to Hizbullah and israel would love to have extra eyes there. Sophisticated equipments in Baalbak is definitely suspicious. In the age of the internet you dont need any sophisticated equipment to connect with family and friend. Let us wait and see.
"The Berlin spokesman said that Mog had been questioned by Lebanese authorities, but was had not been arrested or otherwise detained. " According to the DPA report above, Berlin did not deny that Mog had been spying; what they denied was that he had been arrested.
they can only deny of what they have factual knowledge, and nobody will understand the headline otherwise.
I spied on Arab royalty and heads of state in Rochester, Minnesota back 1993-94 and the US Government doesn't even care. Someone knows what I did and slipped a note under my door in Madison, Wisconsin back in April, telling me I'm gonna pay for it. I reported it to the FBI and the local police and they don't even want to touch it! Next time you want to spy for Israel, do it here in the United States. They won't protect you if somebody wants to kill you for it, but Uncle Sam certainly doesn't care anymore.
Luckily the Lebanese are right on top of this. Anyone c consider that this whole Israel-spy thing is just a facade for some score-settling based on internal Lebanese politics? After all, Hezbo is about to be named as behind the Harriri murder. They will need some stories in the media, not to mention, a bit of suspicion and panic, to divert attention away from that bombshell.