A suspected double agent accused of passing Germany’s intelligence secrets to Russia was asked to find out the position of western rocket launchers in Ukraine, according to a report.

Carsten Linke was tasked by Russia’s FSB spy service to relay the precise positioning of the Himars and Iris-T systems supplied by the US and Germany, Der Spiegel reported on Friday.

Prosecutors believe it is unlikely he was able to pass on the information, sources say.

The 52-year-old was arrested in December and is facing treason charges.

Authorities are investigating whether he acted alone or if he had built up a network of informants.

It is believed he was paid in cash for his services as at least €100,000 was found in a locker that belonged to him.

Colleagues at Germany’s foreign intelligence service (BND) knew that he had farRight sympathies which were flagged up in his background check, the magazine claims.

At least one co-worker said Linke had become more Rightwing over the years and made no secret of his contempt for government ministers such as Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s foreign minister, who is seen as being a “soft touch” on immigration.

There is also speculation he had links to the far-Right Alternative for Germany party, which is seeking immediate peace talks with Russia.

Despite his political leanings, he passed the background check and was promoted shortly before his arrest to the head of the department responsible for vetting candidates to join the BND. Analysts believe he could have used his position to pass on delicate information about agents to Russia.

Linke is believed to have made copies of the intelligence by taking photographs on his mobile phone, printing the mout, and passing them to a courier who took them to Moscow.

His alleged runner, known as Arthur E, a Russian-born businessman with German nationality, was arrested in January. He is said to have flown to Moscow on two occasions last autumn where he passed the documents onto FSB agents over dinner.

The diamond trader claim she was duped into thinking he was on a secret mission on behalf of the BND.

Linke was arrested when a foreign intelligence agency discovered a BND document when analysing data obtained from a Russian spy service. His level of seniority meant that he had access to reports from partner agencies, leading to fears that the information he passed on could have compromised the work of other countries.

It is understood some of the information handed over could have given Moscow clues as to how western spies listen in on them.

British and US intelligence agencies have stopped sharing information with their German counterparts since the scandal erupted, according to a report in Friday’s Washington Post. Linke’s full identity was revealed by The Daily Telegraph earlier this month.

Although he worked in the BND’s offices in Berlin, he lived with his family in the Bavarian town of Weilheim, where he was a volunteer football coach for youth teams. Locals thought he was a soldier because of his frequent absences from the family home.

The BND is now investigating how it was so easy for the suspected mole to copy top-secret intelligence and smuggleit out of their offices. The Daily Telegraph, London