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Germany Warns of Russian Cyberattacks Ahead of Election


German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, left, and Hans-George Maassen, head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency BfV, leave after a press conference in Berlin, July 4, 2017.
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, left, and Hans-George Maassen, head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency BfV, leave after a press conference in Berlin, July 4, 2017.

The head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency and Germany's interior minister warn that Russia is engaged in hacking attacks and that officials "assume there will be such attempts on Germany" ahead of national elections on Sept. 24.

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said Tuesday that documents stolen from the German Parliament in 2015 in a major cyberattack may get leaked to undermine lawmakers or members of the government in the coming weeks. The files have so far not yet been published anywhere.

Hans-George Maassen of the BfV agency said that such attacks may not be so much about weakening one particular party, but to "hamper the trust in the functioning of our democracy."

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