Germany's Federal Public Prosecutor has announced a criminal probe has been opened into the NSA's wiretapping of Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone, and that Germany would prosecute individuals found to be involved in the scheme.

"Espionage is a crime in Germany regardless of whether those spying are friends or enemies," noted prosecutor Harald Range, who said his office has information on specific individuals who were involved in the Merkel tap.

The revelation of the Merkel tap came in October, as part of the trove of documents from Edward Snowden. The White House initially denied involvement in the spying, but has since promised to never again spy on the leaders of allied nations.