German intelligence believes there is an 80 to 90 percent chance that the coronavirus accidentally leaked from a Chinese laboratory, German media report.
Two German media outlets wrote about the BND intelligence agency's research in 2020, but it was never published.
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China again denied the claim, saying the cause "needs to be determined by scientists" and referring to research by the World Health Organization (WHO) which found the theory of the virus leaking from a laboratory "extremely unlikely".
There is no exact answer to the question of the cause of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Scientists have fiercely disputed this claim, with many saying there is no concrete evidence.
However, the once controversial theory is gaining traction among some intelligence agencies, and the BND is among the last to pursue it.
In January, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) said it was "more likely" that the coronavirus leaked from a laboratory than that it originated in animals.
According to Cajt (Time and patience) and the Süddeutsche Zeitung (South German Times), BND agents met in Berlin in 2020 to investigate the origins of the coronavirus.
They rated the theory that it was created in a laboratory as "probable," although there was no definitive evidence.
The BND also suspected that there had been security violations at the laboratory.
This task was published at the behest of Angela Merkel, the then German Chancellor, which was not known until now.
According to media reports, the findings were delivered to the CIA in the fall of last year.
In January this year, The CIA announced that, "based on available reports," it is more likely that "the origin of the virus is linked to pandemic research," adding that he does not have much confidence in this research.
Both the BND and outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz declined to comment.
In March 2023, Christopher Wray, then-director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), said that the agency believed that the coronavirus was “most likely originated in a laboratory controlled by the Chinese government."
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China: Don't manipulate.
"We believe that tracing the origin of Covid-19 is a scientific question that needs to be determined by scientists."
"After visiting the laboratory in Wuhan and having detailed discussions with researchers, A team of experts from China and the WHO jointly concluded "that a laboratory leak of the virus is unlikely," said Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, in response.
"This authoritative scientific conclusion has been universally recognized by the international and scientific community."
"China resolutely opposes any form of political manipulation regarding the origin of Covid-19," she added.
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