Bavarian authorities have arrested two men accused of conducting intelligence work on behalf of an entity based outside Germany, the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office and the Munich General Prosecutor's Office said in a joint statement reported by AFP.
The suspects — a 43-year-old Ukrainian and a 45-year-old Latvian — were detained on 12 April after drawing the attention of officers during what the statement described as a "routine traffic check" on the A6 highway near Neuendettelsau. According to the two agencies, the men are accused, among other things, of "agent activity for sabotage purposes."
Prosecutors allege the pair had been operating at the behest of an unnamed association or institution abroad, though neither the sponsoring entity nor the nature of the suspected sabotage plans has been publicly identified.
Items recovered during the stop
Officers found what the statement characterized as "various suspicious objects" in the men's possession. The seized items, AFP reports, included forged identity documents, cameras, a drone, GPS trackers, radio equipment, several mobile phones, and SIM cards.
Custody and additional charges
The Munich General Prosecutor's Office obtained arrest warrants against both suspects, who, according to investigators, have no fixed residence in Germany. Both were remanded in pretrial custody.
In addition to the espionage allegations, the two face charges of "obtaining false official identification documents." Authorities said no further details would be released "due to the ongoing investigation."
