Arne Schoenbohm, the chief of Germany’s cybersecurity, is facing the axe from interior minister Nancy Faeser over his alleged links to Russian security officers. The news of his possible sack was first reported by German media citing sources in the government, on Sunday.

Schoenbohm was found linked to a Russian cybersecurity firm founded by a former KGB employee, which operates a subsidiary company in Germany. The German company of this firm is reportedly a member of an association founded by Schoenbohm.

The Nancy Faeser-led German Interior ministry issued a statement saying that it “takes the matters reported over the weekend seriously and is investigating them comprehensively.”

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DW reported that a meeting between Faeser and Schoenbohm on Thursday to present the annual report of the Federal Office for Information Security was also called off.

Who is Arne Schoenbohm?

Arne Schoenbohm was born on July 28, 1969 in Hamburg Germany. He has been serving as the president of the Federal Office for Information Security since February 18, 2016.

Raised in Hamburg, Schoenbohm completed his graduate degree in international business administration from the International School of Management in Dortmund. His coursework took him to London and Taipei as well.

His first major professional role came in 1995 when he became a senior official at EADS Germany, now known as Airbus. When he left the company in 2008, he was the Vice President of Commercial and Defence Solutions for the network security wing of EADS.

In 2008, he founded the BSS BuCET Shared Services AG, a consultancy company based in Germany and served as its Chief Executive Officer till 2016. The company advises other companies and public institutions on matters related to cybersecurity.

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Schoenbohm has previously served as the chair of Cyber Security Council of Germany – a politically neutral body based in Berlin that advises companies, state institutions, and political decision-makers on cybersecurity issues.

He has written multiple books on his area of expertise – cybersecurity. The most famous of them is “Deutschlands Sicherheit – Cybercrime and Cyberwar” (2011).