The decision followed allegations the personnel bribed host country intel agents, the newspaper has said
At least two employees of the US embassy in Madrid have been quietly expelled from Spain on suspicion of recruiting employees of the country’s National Intelligence Center (CNI) to obtain highly classified information, El Pais reported on Thursday, citing government sources.
According to the newspaper, two Spanish intelligence officers were arrested two months ago after an internal inspection revealed that they had gained access to classified information that was not required for their work and which they had no right to know. The investigation found that at least one of them had been bribed by US agents. The incident has not been made public as the court has ordered the case kept secret.
US agents are believed to have begun recruiting the Spanish officers more than a year ago, El Espanol reported.
Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles summoned the US ambassador in Madrid, Julissa Reynoso, and asked for an explanation. The diplomat said she was unaware of what had happened, apologized and promised to cooperate with the investigation as much as possible, according to El Pais.
The Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs agreed on the discreet expulsion of at least two US staff involved in the recruitment and bribery of CNI agents, just as Washington hastened to withdraw them, the article said.
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