Advisor to far-right German MEP arrested on charges of spying for China

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 series of arrests in Europe linked to alleged Chinese spying.

German citizen Jian G, who worked for AfD MEP Maximilian Krah, was arrested by the criminal police of the State of Saxony in Dresden and had his residences searched, the prosecutor's office said on Tuesday (23).

German authorities routinely identify suspects by their first name and first initial of their family name.

The advisor was subsequently suspended by the European Parliament, a spokesperson for the body told CNN .

Prosecutors said he passed information about “negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament” to China in January.

Krah's chief of staff confirmed to CNN that the advisor was arrested in Dresden.

His arrest comes days after two men and a woman were detained elsewhere in Germany for allegedly spying for China, and after two men in the United Kingdom were charged with allegedly violating the UK's Official Secrets Act. United.

“Jian G. is an employee of a Chinese secret service. He has worked for a German member of the European Parliament since 2019,” the public prosecutor’s statement said.

“In January 2024, the accused repeatedly transmitted information about negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament to his intelligence service client. He also spied on members of the Chinese opposition in Germany for the intelligence service,” he added.

German media quickly identified Krah as the lawmaker who hired the suspect.

The 47-year-old MEP is part of the Chamber's International Trade Committee, as well as its subcommittees on human rights and Security and Defense. He is also part of the parliament's delegation for relations with the United States.

The far-right AfD party has nine seats in the European Parliament and is competing alongside Germany's traditional parties in June's European elections. Krah is the party's main candidate in these elections.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Tuesday that if the accusations against Jian G are true, it would represent an “internal attack on European democracy.”

Maximilian Krah, MEP for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party, speaks at an AfD election campaign rally

She also criticized the AfD lawmaker over the saga, claiming that “whoever employs such a person is responsible.”

On Monday, three German citizens were arrested on suspicion of violating the Foreign Trade and Payments Act on behalf of China.

The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office said the trio's homes and workplaces were searched in Düsseldorf and Bad Homburg.

It alleged that Thomas R acted as an agent of a Chinese Ministry of State Security official, collecting information about German military technologies. He used the other two suspects – Herwig F and Ina F, who operate a company based in Düsseldorf – to establish links within the German scientific community, the office said.

The pair are accused of purchasing and exporting a specialized laser to China without authorization and in violation of European Union regulations.

The three will be presented to the investigating judge on Monday and Tuesday, where pre-trial detention will be decided.

China reacted angrily to the wave of arrests in Germany on Tuesday, calling it an “exaggeration” intended to “discredit and repress China.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin added on Tuesday that the reports aim to “destroy the atmosphere of cooperation between China and Europe.”

Separately, in the United Kingdom, the Crown Prosecution Service announced charges against two men who allegedly violated the Official Secrets Act on behalf of China.

Source: CNN Brasil

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