US bugged Merkel's phone since 2002

The US has been spying on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone for more than 10 years, said a magazine report.

The German publication Der Spiegel magazine Saturday claimed to have seen secret papers from the National Security Agency (NSA) which show Merkel's phone number on a list dating from 2002 - before she became chancellor of Germany, reports BBC.

The publication said Merkel's mobile had been listed by the NSA's Special Collection Service marked as "GE Chancellor Merkel" - and was still on the list weeks before US President Barack Obama visited Germany in June.

Washington has seen a protest against the NSA's spying programme. Several thousand protesters marched Saturday to the US capital, demanding a limit to the surveillance.