Germany approves major expansion of spy agency powers after attacks

Germany's cabinet approved a draft law lifting postwar-era restraints on its intelligence agencies, granting the BND offensive "hack-back" cyber capabilities, AI-assisted data collection and storage, and expanded surveillance powers, following a car-ramming attack and a drone-bomb incident linked to Russia. The reform reflects a broader push, alongside Chancellor Merz's rearmament drive, for Germany and Europe to build independent strategic and security capacity amid doubts about US protection. This move toward centralised, technology-enabled state security infrastructure illustrates the kind of expanding surveillance and executive authority that tends to accompany national crises.