The German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) has reportedly concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from a laboratory accident in Wuhan, China.

This assessment, made as early as 2020, points to risky "gain-of-function" experiments and lax safety protocols at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Despite these findings, the German government, under both Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz, kept the information under wraps for years, citing political sensitivities.

The BND's investigation, codenamed "Project Saaremaa," found an 80-95% probability of a lab origin but lacked definitive proof.

The issue remains contentious, with China denying the lab-leak theory and blocking independent investigations.

The findings are expected to be presented to the German Bundestag and the World Health Organization soon.