German prosecutors examining WikiLeaks report on CIA base

Germany's federal prosecutors say they are examining a WikiLeaks report suggesting that the Central Intelligence Agency used the U.S. consulate in Frankfurt as a base for covert hackers.

The federal prosecutors' office says the reports published Tuesday are being reviewed, but that this is a standard procedure.

Prosecutors said Wednesday that "if it turns out there is an initial suspicion of a concrete crime committed by a specific person then a preliminary investigation may be opened."

German foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer said authorities were trying to verify the authenticity of the alleged CIA documents published WikiLeaks.

"The rest remains to be seen," he said.

Relations between Berlin and Washington took a hit after Edward Snowden's revelations about NSA eavesdropping. It later transpired Germany had partly cooperated with the NSA.

© 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.