You're reading: Germany charges alleged Moroccan spy

Prosecutors in Germany say they have charged a 47-year-old man with spying for Moroccan intelligence on supporters of the Polisario group, which seeks independence for the Western Sahara region.

Federal prosecutors on June 12 said the suspect, identified only as Moroccan-German dual national Mohammed B. in line with German privacy rules, reported on Polisario’s activities in Berlin.

They say he was paid €22,800 for the work in 2011, and then falsified invoices to claim he had done work for Morocco’s state airline to disguise where the money originated.

He was arrested in February but released from custody on June 5 after prosecutors say he admitted to the charges. No trial date has been set.

Polisario advocates independence for the Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony taken over by Morocco in 1975.