Relations between the two transatlantic partners turned sour after it was revealed that the U.S. National Security Agency had been snooping on German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Leaked documents also show the spy agency has conducted mass espionage activities on German citizens.
Global outrage over U.S. government surveillance spiked after a confidential memo obtained from U.S. surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed that the NSA had illegally eavesdropped on the phone conversations of dozens of world leaders, including Merkel.
The German weekly Der Spiegel said in a report published in October 2013, that the magazine had seen secret documents from the NSA which show that Merkel's mobile phone had been listed by the agency’s Special Collection Service (SCS) since 2002. The report added that the German chancellor’s mobile number was still on a surveillance list in June 2013.
Documents leaked by Snowden showed Britain has also been operating a covert listening post near Germany’s parliament, and Merkel’s offices in the Chancellery, using hi-tech equipment housed on the embassy roof.
