Angela Merkel and British spy agencies shared intelligence information behind closed doors

In a rare secret briefing that took place with British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was briefed by UK spy agencies on the threat posed by the Islamic State terror group, a UK media report said today.

The German leader, in return, shared information with the heads of MI5, MI6 and Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) on Russian President Vladimir Putin, the unrest in Ukraine and the situation in Crimea, The Times newspaper said.

Germany is not a member of the "five eyes" intelligence sharing community which comprises the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

The meeting, attended by MI5 chief Andrew Parker, Alex Younger of MI6, and Robert Hannigan of the GCHQ listening post, offers a sense of intelligence-sharing behind closed doors between allies at a time of heightened concern over security, the newspaper claims.

"They had a lengthy discussion on Syria... and Russia," a Downing Street source told the paper.

The talks took place before the Paris attacks in which 130 people were killed.

The atrocities led to calls for greater intelligence sharing in Europe as ISIS militants exploit borderless travel within the EU, coupled with the migrant crisis to avoid capture and plot new attacks.

The intelligence exchange between Britain and Germany went two ways with Merkel who has the closest relationship with Putin. She offered useful information on the Russian President and the situation in Ukraine.

British and German spies exchange information relatively regularly at an official level. It is unusual, however, for the heads of the British intelligence and security services to brief the German Chancellor directly and receive information from her.

(Image credits: indiatimes)