German police detained in Frankfurt am Main Swiss citizen Daniel M. , Who is suspected of carrying out espionage activities, reports Deutsche Welle.

According to the investigation, the 54-year-old Swiss was engaged in spying on the territory of Germany since 2012. His tasks included getting information in the financial and banking sectors. He was sent to Germany after the German tax authorities illegally bought up databases of Swiss banks with information about clients from Germany.

Apparently, the Swiss also was engaged in the identification of German tax officials engaged in buying up databases.

As you know, the German tax authorities have begun to pay for financial information on non-payers since 2006. To buy data on German customers of Swiss banks UBS, Credit Suisse and Julius Bar, millions of euros were spent. Thanks to this, billions of euros were returned to the budget.

The actions of the German side provoked a diplomatic conflict between Germany and Switzerland. The Swiss authorities even issued warrants for the arrest of several German tax authorities.