Berlin (dpa) – German authorities arrested two men in Berlin Tuesday on espionage charges, accusing them of monitoring Syrian exiles over a period of years, federal prosecutors said. Some 70 police were searching the homes of the pair, and six other suspects, to collect further evidence about the alleged spy ring, which was believed to be reporting to a Syrian intelligence agency on the activities of exiled dissidents. The detained men were Mahmoud El A, aged 47, who has both Lebanese and German nationality, and Akram O, a 34-year-old Syrian national, the prosecutors in Karlsruhe said. Their full surnames were not released. The suspects had been under surveillance by Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Germany has urged the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad to step down after months of pro-democracy protests and unrest that have left at least 5,400 dead, according to the United Nations. Berlin has also sharply reduced its diplomatic representation in Damascus. Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said late Monday he was still considering whether or not to close the embassy entirely. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/8FQWV Tags: Arrest, Germany, Spy Section: Europe, Latest News, Syria
