Germany's top public prosecutor closed a yearlong investigation into the suspected tapping of Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone by US spies, saying there was a lack of evidence that would stand up in court, Reuters reported.
Dropping its probe in a case that had caused strains between Germany and the United States, the prosecutor said it could not find evidence backing allegations from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden that Merkel's phone was bugged.
"The accusations made would not stand up in court with the means available for criminal proceedings," the federal prosecutors office in Karlsruhe said in a statement.
"The vague remarks from US officials about US intelligence surveillance of the chancellor's cellphone are insufficient evidence". Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert declined to comment on the prosecutor dropping the probe.
