German prosecutor seeks to investigate government's cooperation in NSA snoop-ops

A German federal prosecutor is reportedly considering evidence to initiate a formal criminal investigation about whether the German government allegedly cooperated with the US spy agency, NSA, in its mass surveillance programme.

Privacy and human rights campaigners filed a complaint against the German federal government and the presidents of the German secret services alleging them of involvement in illegal and prohibited covert intelligence activities.

According to PC World, the campaigners, including the Chaos Computer Club (CCC), the International League for Human Rights (ILMR) and Digitalcourage, also targeted German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Minister of the Interior as well as US, British and German secret agents for spying on German citizens.

The campaigners hoped that the criminal complaint would initiate investigations by the Federal Prosecutor General against the German government.

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman said that the attorney general has asked the relevant federal authorities to share evidence about the operations to achieve a secure factual basis for examining the initial suspicion and initiate a criminal investigation.

The report added the campaigners calling on other German citizens to file similar complaints, which have also been filed in France and Belgium.