Intel chief dismissal

German spy chief Gerhard Schindler sacked in surprise move

The head of Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency is being pushed out of his job, government sources have said, in a surprise move that comes at a time whenGermany faces a growing threat from Islamic militants.

It was not immediately clear why Gerhard Schindler, who has led Germany’s version of the US Central Intelligence Agency since 2012, was being removed two years before he reaches retirement age.

Schindler, 63, came under pressure a year ago when it emerged that the BND had gone against German interests and spied on European partners at the request of the US National Security Agency.

But he appeared to have weathered that scandal after promising to centralise control over BND field offices, which he admitted had taken on a “life of their own”.