German Spy Swap Lawyer Arrested
Attorney Wolfgang Vogel, who arranged several East-West spy and prisoner swaps, has been arrested for allegedly blackmailing East Germans seeking to emigrate, an official said Saturday.
Vogel is suspected of forcing citizens in the former East Germany to give up their property or sell it cheaply in return for permission to leave the Communist state, said Jutta Burghart, spokeswoman for the Berlin Justice Department.
Vogel, 66, played a key role in negotiating several large East-West spy swaps, including the 1962 exchange of U.S. U-2 pilot Gary Powers.
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