A German intelligence official arrested on suspicion of disclosing sensitive information and planning a terrorist attack was self-radicalised, the head of the domestic intelligence agency BfV says.
"We are evidently dealing with a case in which a person radicalised himself undetected within his personal surroundings," Hans-Georg Maassen told dpa of the 51-year-old.
The Spanish-born German national was arrested in Dusseldorf after allegedly disclosing sensitive information online as well as making Islamist comments using a false name.
According to the prosecutor's office in Dusseldorf, the suspect was only hired by the intelligence agency in April. The former banker's remit was to surveil Islamist extremists in Germany.
The suspect was planning a bomb attack at the agency's headquarters in Cologne, according to the Welt newspaper.
German media also reported that he was a recent convert to Islam.
"Like every intelligence agency, (the BfV) is the target of infiltration attempts by foreign services, extremists and terrorists, which is why we as a security agency have to be particularly vigilant with regards to intruders," Maassen said.
The intelligence chief added that the suspect had undergone the agency's full screening process, which includes five character reference interviews and checking all official registers.
Germany's main opposition party, the Social Democrats (SPD), on Wednesday called for a full inquiry into how the mole was recruited despite screening measures.
"This has revealed a possible gap in security," SPD lawmaker Burkhard Lischka told dpa.
An Interior Ministry spokesman responded to the criticism by saying that there was "currently no indication that there are fundamental structural problems" at the domestic intelligence agency.
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