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The head of Germany’s cyber security department has been sacked over reports of ties to Russian intelligence

The head of Germany’s national cyber security agency has been sacked following reports of possible ties to Russian intelligence, the Interior Ministry said.

The Interior Ministry says that Interior Minister Nancy Faeser fired Arne Schoenbohm as head of the BSI agency after the accusations, which “undermined the necessary public trust in the neutrality and impartiality” of his management, the German news agency dpa reports.

Schoenbohm co-founded a cybersecurity group a decade ago that brings together experts from public institutions and the private sector. German media reported that one of its members is a company founded by a former Russian intelligence officer.

The German government announced more than a week ago that it was fully investigating the reports.

Schoenbohm, 53, has been at the helm of BSI since February 2016. There has been no word on who will succeed him.

The ministry says that the decision to dismiss him was also in the interest of the 1,500 employees of the agency and their ability to work without speculation about personnel issues, reports dpa.

Concerns are growing in Germany that the country’s critical infrastructure could be targeted by Russia because of Berlin’s support for Ukraine.