Germany Kicks Out Top U.S. Intelligence Officer Amid Spying Scandal

"The representative of the U.S. intelligence services at the U.S. Embassy has been asked to leave Germany."

Germany ordered the top U.S. intelligence official at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin to leave the country on Thursday. The dramatic move follows the discovery of two suspected U.S. spies targeting German officials.

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"The request was made in light of the ongoing investigation by the chief federal prosecutor and questions that have been raised for months about the activities of U.S. intelligence services in Germany," said German government spokesman Steffen Seibert.

According to Reuters, the U.S. intelligence official was the Berlin station chief for the Central Intelligence Agency.

The unusual request shows the anger and unease inside German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government, which has been a close ally with the United States.

"Spying on allies ... is a waste of energy," the chancellor said about the recent incident. "We have so many problems, we should focus on the important things."

The expulsion follows two bombshell espionage allegations from the past week. Berlin said it discovered a suspected U.S. spy within Germany's Defense Ministry and a German foreign intelligence member was arrested on suspicion of being a CIA informant.

This spy-related conflict between Germany and United States governments dates back to last year when Edward Snowden exposed U.S. spy operations in Germany, including the monitoring of Chancellor Merkel's cell phone.