A former aide to a leading politician of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party was sentenced on Tuesday to almost five years in prison for spying for China — a case that has heightened concerns that Europe has become a target for Chinese intelligence. This is reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
Details
The accused, identified only as Jian G. under German data protection laws, is a German citizen. As the judge of the Higher Regional Court in Dresden reported, he spied on Chinese dissidents in Europe and passed information from the European Parliament to Chinese intelligence.
Jian G. was accused of working for Chinese intelligence since 2002 and collecting documents and materials from the European Parliament while working for Maximilian Krah, a former MEP who now represents the AfD in Germany's national parliament.
The Chinese embassy in Germany did not provide a comment on the request. Beijing has previously denied all accusations of espionage in Europe.
Krah stated on Tuesday that he was awaiting a written explanation from the court to better understand the "espionage activities of which he was a victim." He also noted that after the arrest, he significantly strengthened security measures in his office.
The espionage charges were brought as Krah campaigned as the AfD's lead candidate in the European Parliament elections. The case raised concerns about the pro-Chinese and pro-Russian views of some party leaders.
Recall
In 2024, a 43-year-old assistant to an AfD MEP was detained in Dresden on suspicion of spying for Chinese intelligence by transmitting information about negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament.