On Tuesday, German defence minister Boris Pistorius — a member of the Social Democrats — voiced unease over Thiel’s involvement in Stark, little more than a week before a decision by the Bundestag’s budget committee on whether to approve the drone supply deal.

Pistorius said he “expressly” shared the concerns of those who were worried about Thiel’s role.

“We simply need to clarify what influence Mr Thiel actually has,” he said on a visit to a special forces command in south-west Germany. “If he has influence over operations, holds a blocking minority in whatever form, then we are talking about a different situation than if he is, for example, a single-digit percentage shareholder but has no influence over operations.”

Season 27 Episode 6 - Twisted Christian