Germany arrests aide to far-right MEP on suspicion of spying for China
CNN
German authorities have arrested an aide to a high-ranking, far-right member of the European Parliament on suspicion of spying for China, the latest in a number of arrests in Europe linked to alleged Chinese espionage.
German authorities have arrested an aide to a high-ranking, far-right member of the European Parliament on suspicion of spying for China, the latest in a number of arrests in Europe linked to alleged Chinese espionage. German national Jian G, who worked for AfD MEP Maximilian Krah, was arrested by Saxony State criminal police in Dresden and had his residences searched, the prosecutor’s office said early Tuesday. German authorities routinely identify suspects by their first name and first initial of their family name. Prosecutors said he passed on information about “negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament” to China in January. The head of Krah’s office confirmed to CNN that the aide had been arrested in Dresden. His arrest comes days after two men and a woman were arrested elsewhere in Germany for allegedly spying for China, and after two men in the UK were charged for allegedly breaching Britain’s Officials Secrets Act. “Jian G. is an employee of a Chinese secret service. He has been working for a German Member of the European Parliament since 2019,” the prosecutor’s office statement said. “In January 2024, the accused repeatedly passed on information about negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament to his intelligence service client. He also spied on Chinese opposition members in Germany for the intelligence service,” it added.
