German Intelligence: Russian GRU Group Behind NATO, EU Cyberattacks

The warning comes at a time of heightened anxiety in Europe over suspected Russian hackers and spies. Reuters
The warning comes at a time of heightened anxiety in Europe over suspected Russian hackers and spies. Reuters
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German Intelligence: Russian GRU Group Behind NATO, EU Cyberattacks

The warning comes at a time of heightened anxiety in Europe over suspected Russian hackers and spies. Reuters
The warning comes at a time of heightened anxiety in Europe over suspected Russian hackers and spies. Reuters

Germany's domestic intelligence agency has warned against a cyber group belonging to Russian military intelligence (GRU) Unit 29155, saying it has carried out cyberattacks against NATO and EU countries.
In a post on social media platform X on Monday, the Bundesverfassungsschutz said it was issuing the warning against the group known as UNC2589 alongside the FBI, US cybersecurity agency CISA, the NSA and further international partners.
According to Reuters, the warning comes at a time of heightened anxiety in Europe over suspected Russian hackers and spies since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Earlier this year, Berlin accused Russia of a slew of cyberattacks on Germany's governing Social Democrats as well as companies in the logistics, defense, aerospace and IT sectors.
In its warning, the intelligence agency said the group, also known as Cadet Blizzard or Ember Bear, conducts activities for the purpose of espionage and sabotage that often involve defacing websites and publishing stolen data.
The GRU unit to which it belongs is known for its suspected involvement in the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Britain in 2018, according to the agency.



German Christmas Market Attacker Asked about Whereabouts of Saudi Ambassador

People mourn at the mourning site in front of St. John's Church following a vehicle-ramming attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, 22 December 2024.  EPA/FILIP SINGER
People mourn at the mourning site in front of St. John's Church following a vehicle-ramming attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, 22 December 2024. EPA/FILIP SINGER
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German Christmas Market Attacker Asked about Whereabouts of Saudi Ambassador

People mourn at the mourning site in front of St. John's Church following a vehicle-ramming attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, 22 December 2024.  EPA/FILIP SINGER
People mourn at the mourning site in front of St. John's Church following a vehicle-ramming attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, 22 December 2024. EPA/FILIP SINGER

The perpetrator who drove a car at speed through a Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg, Germany, has reportedly offered a reward in return for information about the whereabouts of the Saudi ambassador to Germany, a source told Independent Arabia on Sunday.
The source said that the attacker, Taleb al-Abd al-Mohsen, had offered a SAR 10,000 (equivalent to 2662 euros) in reward for anyone who provides information pertaining to the residence of the Saudi ambassador to Germany, and the timing of his presence.
The Saudi embassy had informed the German authorities about the threat, said the source but the latter “did not take the matter seriously”, he stated.
On Friday, Taleb al-Abd al-Mohsen drove a car at speed through a Christmas market in Germany, killing four women ranging in age from 45 to 75, as well as a 9-year-old boy and injuring 200, including 41 in serious condition.
The police apprehended the perpetrator at the scene of the attack. He is a doctor who had fled Saudi Arabia, where he was wanted on criminal charges. He had been residing in Germany for two decades.
Saudi Arabia condemned the ramming attack and expressed solidarity with the people of Germany.
A Saudi source told Reuters that Saudi Arabia had warned the German authorities about the suspect who appears to have been an active user of the social media platform X, sharing extremist tweets and retweets daily.
In 2023 and 2024, Germany received warnings about the man from Saudi authorities, a German source affirmed.