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An aide to a German lawmaker within the European Parliament has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, Germany’s federal prosecutor’s workplace stated Tuesday.
The arrest happened on Monday within the japanese metropolis of Dresden. It got here simply hours after the German authorities arrested three folks within the west of the nation on suspicion of leaking technological knowledge utilized in maritime propulsion and exporting a high-powered laser to China. It was not clear whether or not the 2 instances had been linked.
Prosecutors stated that Jiang G., as he was recognized in step with German privateness guidelines, had labored for a German member of the European Parliament since 2019.
Calling him an “worker of a Chinese secret service,” prosecutors accused Mr. G. of repeatedly passing alongside details about parliamentary deliberations and choices to Chinese intelligence in January. Mr. G., a German citizen, additionally was accused of spying on Chinese opposition teams in Germany, in line with a press release from the prosecutor’s workplace.
The Chinese authorities denied any involvement within the case.
“We have taken observe of the related reviews and associated hype,” a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, Wang Wenbin, informed a information convention in Beijing on Tuesday. “In actuality, everybody has seen very clearly in latest occasions that the so-called ‘Chinese espionage risk idea’ shouldn’t be new in European public discourse,” he added.
Nancy Faeser, who as Germany’s inside minister is answerable for homeland safety, referred to as the allegations “extraordinarily critical.”
“If it’s confirmed that the European Parliament was spying for Chinese intelligence providers, then that is an assault on European democracy from inside,” she stated in assertion on Tuesday morning.
Maximilian Krah, a lawmaker with the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, party confirmed that the person arrested was one among his staff.
“Should the allegations show to be true, this is able to end result within the fast termination of employment,” Mr. Krah wrote on X.
A spokesman for the Belgian prosecutor’s workplace, which might be answerable for any investigations on the aide’s office contained in the European Parliament in Brussels, didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. A spokesman for the European Parliament additionally didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Mr. Krah, who has served within the European Parliament since 2019, has positioned himself on the fitting wing of the AfD. He is taken into account to be the party’s prime candidate within the European Parliament election in June.
The arrest of his aide was not the primary time Mr. Krah’s identify has are available in contact with accused spies for overseas nations.
According to inside information reviewed by The New York Times, Mr. Krah secured an entry badge to the European Parliament for a Polish man later accused of spying for Russia.
Matina Stevis-Gridneff contributed reporting from Brussels.
