BOMBSHELL: Germany’s BND intelligence service secretly wiretapped then-U.S. President Barack Obama for years, including calls made aboard Air Force One, all without Angela Merkel’s approval, Die Zeit reports. The operation ended in 2014.

The BND allegedly exploited weaknesses in the plane’s encryption, recorded transcripts for top officials only, then destroyed them after review. The spying reportedly had no formal authorization, and it remains unclear who inside the Chancellery knew or whether George W. Bush was also targeted.

The program was shut down only after reports that Hillary Clinton’s calls had been intercepted.