The US National Security Agency (NSA) spied on more than 60 million phone calls in Spain in one month alone, according to the latest leak from former American security worker Edward Snowden.
A report of the spying in the El Mundo newspaper comes a week after reports of US mass phone surveillance in France, and the tapping of German chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone.
El Mundo said a document provided by the former NSA contractor Snowden shows the NSA monitored phone calls from December 10 2012 until January 8 2013, but not their content.
It said the system used by the NSA could also monitor emails and text messages. El Mundo said it had reached a deal with him to have the exclusive on the Snowden documents relating to Spain.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has already summoned the US ambassador to Spain for a meeting, but insisted his government was unaware of any cases of US spying on Spain.
He acted after another paper, El Pais, said Snowden documents showed the NSA had tracked phone calls, text messages and emails of millions of Spaniards and spied on members of the government.
