Germany’s cybersecurity chief absent amid reports of Russia ties

The German government said more than a week ago that it was thoroughly investigating the reports.

There are growing fears in Germany that the country’s critical infrastructure could be targeted by Russia due to Berlin’s support for Ukraine during the war.

Schoenbohm, 53, had been head of the BSI since February 2016. It was not immediately clear who would succeed him.

The ministry said Faeser’s decision was also in the interest of Schoenbohm himself and the agency’s 1,500 employees and their ability to work without speculation over the personnel issue, dpa reported.

He said the allegations will be thoroughly investigated and assessed, and that there is a presumption of innocence for Schoenbohm while that assessment is ongoing.

German weekly Der Spiegel quoted Schoenbohm as saying that since there had been no « return » to the allegations, he had called for disciplinary proceedings to be opened on Monday to clear up the matter.

He said he did not yet know « what the department has looked into and what the concrete allegations against me look like. »