The German foreign intelligence service BND concluded in 2020 that the COVID-19 pandemic arose due to a leak of the virus from a laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan. This was reported by the Süddeutsche Zeitung and Zeit newspapers on March 12.
Investigations and confidential conclusions
The German federal intelligence service was tasked with conducting this investigation by Chancellor Angela Merkel's government. However, the information obtained has been classified and not made public.
The BND analysis is based on open sources and materials collected within the framework of an intelligence operation named Saaremaa. During the investigations, scientific data from Chinese research institutes, including the Wuhan Institute of Virology, were examined.
Laboratory errors and dangerous experiments
According to BND reports, not only were dangerous experiments conducted in Wuhan to artificially modify natural viruses, but serious violations of safety protocols were also observed in the laboratory. Additionally, the experiments may have been conducted to study the effects of the virus on the human body.
Federal intelligence leadership and Merkel were informed
During Angela Merkel's tenure as head of the German government, BND chief Bruno Kal personally informed the federal chancellery about these investigations. According to the newspapers, based on this information, the likelihood of the virus leaking from the laboratory was assessed at 80-95%.
Why was the information classified?
The BND and the German government decided not to disclose this information to the public. The reasons for this decision have not been disclosed, but it may have been made considering German-Chinese diplomatic relations and international political influence.
According to German intelligence, the COVID-19 pandemic may have spread through a leak of the virus from the laboratory in Wuhan. However, the government has not officially announced this information and has decided to keep these conclusions confidential. This could further intensify international debates and disputes regarding the origins of the pandemic.
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