Azerbaijan denies report of link to German spy scandal

Azerbaijan Rejects Claims of Link to Latest German Spy Scandal Involving BND Chief

Denial of Azerbaijani Involvement in German Espionage Case

Background of the Allegations

BAKU, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Azerbaijan on Wednesday denied a report that former German intelligence chief August Hanning, accused of buying secret documents and using them in an analysis for a foreign spy service, had been in contact with an agent from Azerbaijan.

Official Statement from Azerbaijan

The country's Media and Broadcasting Council said in a statement that allegations of an Azerbaijani connection to the case, first reported by Der Spiegel, were unfounded.

Impact on Azerbaijan-Germany Relations

"The malicious intent of the forces behind this disinformation operation is to damage Azerbaijan-Germany relations," the council said.

Details of the German Spy Scandal

Hanning, the former head of the BND foreign intelligence service, was detained on Tuesday on suspicion of attempted treason and espionage in one of Germany's biggest security scandals since the Cold War.

Prosecutors' Findings

Prosecutors said he paid to receive classified documents from a BND office manager and used them to prepare an analysis for an officer of an unnamed foreign intelligence service.

Responses from German Authorities

Germany's federal prosecutor's office declined to comment on the Spiegel report. Hanning did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

(Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Toby Chopra)