Edward Snowden leaks: Spying targets revealed

New details of people and institutions targeted by the US and UK surveillance have been published by The Guardian, The New York Times and Der Spiegel.

The papers say that the list of around 1,000 targets includes a EU commissioner, humanitarian organizations and an Israeli PM.

The secret documents were leaked by Edward Snowden, now a fugitive in Russia.

They suggest over 60 countries were targets of the NSA and Britain’s GCHQ.

The reports are likely to spark more international concern about the surveillance operations carried out by the US and the UK.

News that the National Security Agency (NSA) had monitored the phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel triggered a diplomatic row between Berlin and Washington in October.

The New York Times that GCHQ monitored the communications of foreign leaders – including African heads of state and sometimes their family members – and directors of UN and other relief programmes.

The paper reports that the emails of Israeli officials were monitored, including one listed as “Israeli prime minister”. The PM at the time, 2009, was Ehud Olmert.

The Guardian wrote that GCHQ targeted the UN development programme, UNICEF, German government buildings and the EU Competition Commissioner, Joaquin Almunia.