A detailed report from two German newspapers has unveiled that the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), Germany's foreign intelligence service, believed there was a high likelihood of the coronavirus leak being tied to a lab in China, specifically the Wuhan Institute of Virology. This information, assessed in a 2020 operation dubbed Project Saaremaa, remained undisclosed until recently. Citing safety violations, the BND may have strengthened the lab-leak hypothesis, contrasting with Chinese officials and several scientific communities who maintain that the virus likely has a natural origin. This debate highlights the contention surrounding the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.
German Intelligence Agency Suggests Lab Leak Most Likely Origin of Covid-19
German Intelligence Agency Suggests Lab Leak Most Likely Origin of Covid-19
Recent revelations indicate that Germany's BND spy agency assessed an 80-90% probability of Covid-19 originating from a lab.
Germany's foreign intelligence service, the BND, conducted an assessment in 2020 suggesting an 80-90% likelihood that Covid-19 had leaked accidentally from a lab. Reports from Die Zeit and Sueddeutsche Zeitung reveal that the BND investigated the possibility as part of an operation called Project Saaremaa, prompted by the office of then-Chancellor Angela Merkel. Notably, the BND's findings included indications of safety violations at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where viruses had supposedly been modified to enhance transmissibility to humans.
The Chinese government has consistently denied any lab-related origins for the virus, insisting that the source should be treated as a scientific question. Officials pointed to a World Health Organization study that had deemed the lab-leak theory "extremely unlikely" after extensive investigations in Wuhan. However, this stance has been met with scrutiny, as many scientists believe the conclusions were not sufficiently thorough, leaving room for doubt about the virus's origins.
Despite the WHO's report from early 2021, which asserted a natural origin linked to bats and possibly an intermediary host, many researchers note a lack of evidence supporting this claim. They highlight the ongoing struggle to identify a virus related to Covid-19 in known reservoirs, such as bats or other animals. This absence of convincing evidence is fuelling discussions among various intelligence agencies, with the CIA also expressing that a research-related origin could be more plausible than a naturally occurring one, albeit with low confidence in their findings.
As the debate surrounding the origins of Covid-19 continues, the BND has yet to officially comment on the released findings, and outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also remained silent. The issue remains deeply political, as China’s foreign ministry emphasizes that origin tracing should adhere strictly to scientific inquiry without external political influence. The unfolding inquiries and contrasting viewpoints underscore the complexity woven into understanding the roots of a pandemic that transformed global health in unprecedented ways.
The Chinese government has consistently denied any lab-related origins for the virus, insisting that the source should be treated as a scientific question. Officials pointed to a World Health Organization study that had deemed the lab-leak theory "extremely unlikely" after extensive investigations in Wuhan. However, this stance has been met with scrutiny, as many scientists believe the conclusions were not sufficiently thorough, leaving room for doubt about the virus's origins.
Despite the WHO's report from early 2021, which asserted a natural origin linked to bats and possibly an intermediary host, many researchers note a lack of evidence supporting this claim. They highlight the ongoing struggle to identify a virus related to Covid-19 in known reservoirs, such as bats or other animals. This absence of convincing evidence is fuelling discussions among various intelligence agencies, with the CIA also expressing that a research-related origin could be more plausible than a naturally occurring one, albeit with low confidence in their findings.
As the debate surrounding the origins of Covid-19 continues, the BND has yet to officially comment on the released findings, and outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also remained silent. The issue remains deeply political, as China’s foreign ministry emphasizes that origin tracing should adhere strictly to scientific inquiry without external political influence. The unfolding inquiries and contrasting viewpoints underscore the complexity woven into understanding the roots of a pandemic that transformed global health in unprecedented ways.
