Germany Arrests Lawmaker’s Aide on Suspicion of Spying for China

Europe|Germany Arrests Lawmaker’s Aide connected Suspicion of Spying for China

An adjutant to a German lawmaker successful the European Parliament has been arrested connected suspicion of spying for China, Germany’s national prosecutor’s bureau said Tuesday.

The apprehension took spot connected Monday successful the eastbound metropolis of Dresden. It came conscionable hours aft the German authorities arrested 3 radical successful the westbound of the country connected suspicion of leaking technological information utilized successful maritime propulsion and exporting a high-powered laser to China. It was not wide whether the 2 cases were linked.

Prosecutors said that Jiang G., arsenic helium was identified successful keeping with German privateness rules, had worked for a German subordinate of the European Parliament since 2019.

Calling him an “employee of a Chinese concealed service,” prosecutors accused Mr. G. of repeatedly passing on accusation astir parliamentary deliberations and decisions to Chinese quality successful January. Mr. G., a German citizen, besides was accused of spying connected Chinese absorption groups successful Germany, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office.

The Chinese authorities denied immoderate engagement successful the case.

“We person taken enactment of the applicable reports and related hype,” a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, Wang Wenbin, told a quality league successful Beijing connected Tuesday. “In reality, everyone has seen precise intelligibly successful caller times that the alleged ‘Chinese espionage menace theory’ is not caller successful European nationalist discourse,” helium added.

Nancy Faeser, who arsenic Germany’s interior curate is liable for homeland security, called the allegations “extremely serious.”

“If it is confirmed that the European Parliament was spying for Chinese quality services, past this is an onslaught connected European ideology from within,” she said successful connection connected Tuesday morning.

Maximilian Krah, a lawmaker with the far-right Alternative for Germany, oregon AfD, enactment confirmed that the antheral arrested was 1 of his employees.

“Should the allegations beryllium to beryllium true, this would effect successful the contiguous termination of employment,” Mr. Krah wrote connected X.

A spokesperson for the Belgian prosecutor’s office, which would beryllium liable for immoderate investigations astatine the aide’s workplace wrong the European Parliament successful Brussels, did not instantly respond to a petition for comment. A spokesperson for the European Parliament besides did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Mr. Krah, who has served successful the European Parliament since 2019, has positioned himself connected the close helping of the AfD. He is considered to beryllium the party’s apical campaigner successful the European Parliament predetermination successful June.

The apprehension of his adjutant was not the archetypal clip Mr. Krah’s sanction has travel successful interaction with accused spies for overseas countries.

According to interior records reviewed by The New York Times, Mr. Krah secured an entree badge to the European Parliament for a Polish antheral aboriginal accused of spying for Russia.

Matina Stevis-Gridneff contributed reporting from Brussels.