Report: Germany has expelled Russian linked to spying case

German weekly Der Spiegel reported Friday that the government has expelled a Russian diplomat after he was linked to an espionage case in Germany.

The Foreign Ministry confirmed that a member of staff at Russia's consulate in Munich was declared persona non grata last summer and told to leave the country. It had not previously announced the expulsion and didn't provide any further details about the case.

Der Spiegel cited unnamed sources close to the investigation saying the man had been accredited as a diplomat but was in fact an agent for Russia's SVR foreign intelligence agency.

He was identified as part of an investigation into Ilnur N., a Russian researcher at a university in Bavaria suspected of passing information on European rockets to Russian intelligence, Spiegel reported.

Ilnur N. was charged with espionage earlier this week.

Germany has identified several suspected Russian spies on its territory in recent times.

Last February, a German man was charged with espionage for allegedly passing information on properties used by the German parliament to Russian military intelligence.

In August, Germany arrested a British citizen on suspicion of spying for Russia while working at Britain's Embassy in Berlin.