Germany's foreign intelligence agency, the BND, reportedly concluded in 2020 that there was an 80-90% likelihood that the Covid-19 virus accidentally escaped from China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology. This information was revealed in a joint report by German newspapers Die Zeit and Sueddeutscher Zeitung on March 12, 2025.

According to the report, the BND had indications that the Wuhan lab was engaged in gain-of-function research—scientific experiments designed to make viruses more contagious to humans for study. Additionally, intelligence suggested that the lab had a history of repeated safety violations, raising concerns about accidental exposure.

The agency's assessment was based on a classified intelligence operation code-named "Saaremaa," as well as publicly available data. This investigation had been commissioned by the office of then-Chancellor Angela Merkel but was never officially published. However, in late 2024, Germany shared its findings with the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). When asked about the report, both the BND and Chancellor Olaf Scholz declined to comment. Meanwhile, in January 2025, a CIA spokesperson stated that the agency considers a lab origin more probable than natural transmission in the emergence of Covid-19.

The possibility of a lab leak has been a subject of intense global debate since the pandemic began. While some experts believe the virus originated in a seafood market, others argue that the Wuhan lab’s research and documented safety breaches point toward an accidental escape. Despite these reports, there is still no definitive proof of Covid-19’s origin. China has consistently denied the lab leak theory, calling it politically motivated, while the scientific community remains divided on the issue.

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