Germany's federal prosecutors' office said on Friday that a member of the BND intelligence agency had been arrested on suspicion of spying for a foreign country.

Prosecutors did not name the country, but Der Spiegel magazine identified it in an online report as Bulgaria.

The federal prosecutors' office in Karlsruhe said in a statement the 64-year-old member of the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) was suspected of giving secret documents to a female foreign agent between 1999 and September 2003.

Der Spiegel said the man was a BND Balkan specialist, and described him as an alcoholic.

Its report said the German government was outraged over the alleged spying by a friendly nation. Bulgaria is a candidate to join the European Union in 2007.

A German government spokesman declined to comment and the Bulgarian embassy could not immediately be reached for reaction.

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