Suspicious USB Sticks Prompt Security Alert at German Parliament
Berlin – German parliamentary group offices received unsolicited packages containing USB sticks and a letter in English this week, triggering a security alert and a warning from the Bundestag police. Authorities have instructed MPs under no circumstances to connect the devices to computers, but to instead submit them in separate envelopes for investigation.
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) confirmed its members received the packages. “There are MPs who have received this stick. We are not aware that anyone has connected it.We have consistently received feedback that it was destroyed or just sent as instructed,” a CDU parliamentary group spokesman told WELT.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) is also taking the matter seriously. “We are certainly concerned about the process, all MPs and employees of the parliamentary group have been informed and sensitized,” stated SPD security officer Marja-Lisa Völlers. ”The investigations initiated by the Bundestag management will show everything else.”
The Option for Germany (AfD) reported that several of its MPs received the packages, with the exact number still unknown. According to an AfD spokesman, the USB sticks in “known cases” have been handed over to the Bundestag police.
As of November 14, 2025, at 2:16 p.m., The Left parliamentary group reported it had not received any such packages. The Green Party did not respond to a query from WELT regarding the incident.
The Bundestag administration has yet to respond to requests for comment. The contents of the USB sticks and the letter remain unknown as of Friday afternoon.
