The German justice minister, Heiko Maas, is to request the dismissal and retirement of chief federal prosecutor, Harald Range, over a treason investigation into a news website

Maas said on Tuesday he made the decision after consultations with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office.

The justice ministry has questioned Range’s decision to open the treason investigation against two journalists who had reported that Germany’s domestic spy agency planned to expand surveillance of online communication.

The 67-year-old, who was due to retire early next year, has accused the government of interfering in the investigation.

He said on Tuesday it had ordered him to withdraw an independent expert from the case who determined that the leaked documents in the reports were a “state secret”, one requirement for a treason case.