According to German prosecutors, the suspect repeatedly passed information about European Parliament negotiations and decisions to his intelligence client in January this year.
“He also spied on Chinese opposition figures in Germany on behalf of the intelligence services,” the statement said.
Maximilian Krah, an MEP for Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party since 2019, later confirmed media reports that the suspect was his employee.
“I learned this morning from the press of the arrest of a member of my team, Jian Guo,” Krah said in a statement. “I have no additional information. Espionage for a foreign state is a serious charge. If the allegations are found to be true, it will result in Mr. Guo’s immediate termination from my employment.
An AfD spokesperson called reports of the arrest very worrying.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called for the “extremely serious” allegations to be “rigorously clarified”.
“If it is confirmed that spying for Chinese intelligence services took place within the European Parliament, then this is an attack on European democracy from within,” she said. declared.
The accusation of spying on Chinese opposition members in Germany is equally serious, Faeser said, adding that “whoever employs such a staff member also bears responsibility.”
China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday dismissed “so-called Chinese espionage activities” reported in Germany and the United Kingdom as “hype.”
“We urge relevant parties to stop spreading false news about this so-called ‘China spy threat’ and put an end to this political manipulation and anti-China slander,” spokesperson Wang said Wenbin.
In Germany, the arrest sparked further criticism of Krah – even within the ranks of his own party.
“He has been a problem for the delegation over the past five years with his aloof attitude towards China, Russia, the United States, Israel, women and more,” tweeted Sylvia Limmer, Krah’s AfD colleague in the European Parliament.
Konstantin von Notz, a lawmaker for the German Greens, said the arrest of the Krah employee was further evidence of the authoritarian tendencies of the far-right AfD party.
“(The AfD) does not hide its contempt for our democracy and our rule of law. And that obviously makes their politicians very vulnerable to the influence and control of China and Russia,” von Notz told German media outlet RND.
Earlier this month, the AfD was accused in parliament of boosting Russian propaganda and undermining German security following reports of a Russian disinformation campaign via the pro-Russian platform Voice of Europe. Interviews with Krah and fellow AfD politician Petr Bystron were published on the site.
German media also reported last week that Krah was questioned by the FBI in December about possible payments from pro-Russian clients – accusations Krah called “absurd and fabricated.”
Beatriz Rios in Brussels and Lily Kuo in Taipei contributed to this report.
washingtonpost
