COVID origin: German intel points to Wuhan lab
The COVID-19 pandemic may have originated from a virus leak at a laboratory in Wuhan, China, according to a 2020 report by the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), cited by Süddeutsche Zeitung und Zeit.
The BND investigation, codenamed "Saaremaa," relied on open-source data, including Chinese scientific documents. These documents reportedly contained evidence of risky artificial virus modification experiments and multiple laboratory safety breaches, as reported by DW.
Cited sources claim that former BND director Bruno Kahl directly informed Angela Merkel's chancellery of the report's conclusions, estimating an 80% to 95% probability of a laboratory origin. However, the German government chose not to disclose this information.
The decision to keep the BND conclusions secret drew criticism from several officials. Wolfgang Kubicki, vice-president of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), accused the government of a lack of transparency, and the vice-president of the Greens parliamentary group, Konstantin von Notz, called for an urgent hearing of the intelligence services in the Bundestag.
The federal government declined to comment on the revelations, citing its "policy" of not publicly discussing intelligence activities.
After Olaf Scholz took office, the head of the BND re-presented the report on the pandemic's origin, but neither the Bundestag's oversight committee nor the World Health Organization (WHO) were informed.
In December 2024, the German government initiated a reassessment of the BND conclusions, enlisting renowned experts such as Lars Schade, director of the Robert Koch Institute, and Berlin virologist Christian Drosten. The final results of this analysis have not yet been announced.
The COVID-19 pandemic began in late 2019, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, initially detected in Wuhan, China. The first cases were reported to be linked to a live animal market, but the exact origin of the virus remains controversial.
The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the pandemic on March 11, 2020, after the virus spread rapidly globally. COVID-19 had a major impact on public health, the economy, and social life, leading governments to impose drastic measures, including lockdowns, travel restrictions, and mass vaccination campaigns.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
