German intelligence BND intercepted Obama’s calls on Air Force One

WISE NEWS PRESS / BERLIN, GERMANY — JANUARY 05, 2026

Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, the BND, reportedly intercepted the communications of former US President Barack Obama during his flights aboard Air Force One. Investigative journalist Holger Stark revealed in his latest book that the agency monitored high-level conversations between Obama and other world leaders by targeting the aircraft's communication frequencies.

The revelation comes as a significant twist in the long-standing transatlantic intelligence saga, following the 2013 scandal where it was discovered that US agencies had tapped the phone of then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Stark described the BND as a service that was "never fully controllable," operating beyond its formal mandate to monitor the peak of the US administration.

Weak Encryption Exploited on Presidential Aircraft

According to the reports, while the BND failed to breach the US government’s most secure land-based networks, they found vulnerabilities in the satellite communication links used by Air Force One. Agency technicians reportedly identified a dozen frequencies used by the presidential plane, exploiting instances where encryption was insufficient to overhear discussions with various heads of state and ministers.

Broader Surveillance of US Officials

The surveillance reportedly extended beyond the President, with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and several high-ranking military officials also listed as targets. To date, neither the BND nor former Chancellor Merkel has commented on the findings. Similar to the US defense during the Merkel tapping scandal, German sources suggest that the Chancellor’s office was unaware of the BND’s unauthorized eavesdropping activities.

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