The pharmaceutical giant said it found malicious software on its computer networks last year.

Germany’s federal criminal police, known as the BKA, said they searched the suspected hacker's home on Sunday, confiscating his computer and other personal materials.

Jan Schürlein, a 19-year-old IT developer, says he is being treated as a "witness" in the investigation into the breach, which exposed information about hundreds of Germany's politicians.

Germany’s ask for NSA assistance is the latest update in a complicated relationship between U.S. and German intelligence.

It's unclear if hacking was the cause, but data security is already a critical national issue in Germany.

The agency's goal is to make Germany technologically independent of other powers with regards to cybersecurity.