Love-struck German spy loses job, compensation claim

BERLIN – A German spy who broke the rules by falling in love while on mission has lost a legal battle for compensation from the country’s BND spy agency.

The unnamed spy, who was the BND’s station chief in Riga, had become romantically involved with a Latvian woman — despite warnings about fraternizing with locals.

Instead of informing superiors, he got Latvia’s intelligence agency to run checks on his girlfriend.

He informed the BND only after she had moved in with him, prompting the agency to recall him.

German news agency dpa reported the man went on sick leave and lost his job, after which he sought 400,000 euros ($421,920) in lost earnings.

A Munich regional court ruled against the claim Thursday and ordered him to pay legal costs.

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