Germany spying: Far-right party aide held in
China spy probe
By Jessica
Parker in Berlin & Paul Kirby in London,
BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68880086
Prosecutors
have arrested a man working for a far-right politician on suspicion of spying
for China.
They have
identified the man as Jian G, 43, named by German media as an assistant to AfD
MEP and European election candidate Maximilian Krah.
Prosecutors
say he was arrested in the eastern city of Dresden. They allege he passed
information about the European Parliament to Chinese intelligence.
Jian G is
also suspected of spying on Chinese opposition figures in Germany.
The
allegations come at an awkward time for the AfD (Alternative for Germany),
ahead of this year's European Parliament elections.
Mr Krah
said he had learned of his aide's arrest from the press and that if the
allegations were found to be true then his employment would be terminated
immediately.
"Espionage
for a foreign state is a serous accusation," his statement said.
A spokesman
for the AfD added that reports of "the arrest of one of Mr Krah's
employees on suspicion of espionage are very worrying" and they were
waiting for further investigations from the public prosecutor.
Germany's
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the allegations were extremely serious:
"If it is confirmed that someone spied for China in the European
Parliament, this is an attack from within on European democracy."
Justice
Minister Marco Buschmann said "tough consequences" would be required
if the accusations proved to be true.
China's
foreign affairs ministry rejected the arrest as speculation designed "to
smear and suppress China". Condemning what he called as "hype",
spokesman Wang Wenbin complained that "the so-called Chinese spy threat
theory is not new in the European public opinion field".
Prosecutors
said Jian G was due to go before an investigating judge later on Tuesday.
He had
worked since 2019 "for a member of the European Parliament", they
said. But they did not name Mr Krah, who is the AfD's lead candidate in the
European Elections which take place in the EU's 27 member states from 6-9 June.
One of Mr
Krah's AfD colleagues in the European Parliament, Sylvia Limmer, posted angrily
on X that he had been a problem for his Brussels colleague for the past five
years, because of "his stance on China, Russia, the USA, Israel, women and
much more".
The number
two on the party's election list, Petr Bystron, has come in for criticism too
in recent weeks. He has strongly denied allegations that he received payments
from a Prague-based Russian disinformation network closed down earlier this
month by Czech authorities.
Jian G's
detention comes a day after two men and a woman were arrested on suspicion of
spying for China, by allegedly obtaining information in Germany about military
technology for China. The latest case is not believed to be linked.
The main
suspect in that case is alleged to have operated a front company working with
German research organisations while spying for the Chinese Ministry of State
Security (MSS). Thomas R is alleged to have obtained "innovative
technologies for military use" on behalf of an MSS employee.
German
Chancellor Olaf Scholz returned days ago from an important visit to Beijing
where he held talks with President Xi Jinping on issues including Russia's war
in Ukraine.
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