Spying for China: Three Germans arrested

Three Germans were arrested on Monday morning. The accusation: They are said to have been active in Germany on behalf of the Chinese secret service.

The Federal Prosecutor General has had two men and a woman arrested for spying for China. Thomas R. and the couple Herwig and Ina F. were arrested in Düsseldorf and Bad Homburg, the Karlsruhe authorities announced on Monday. The “Spiegel” reported first. The main suspect, Thomas R., is said to have obtained information on innovative technologies that could be used militarily on behalf of China.

The 59-year-old is said to have obtained and passed on the information through Herwig and Ina F.’s company, the Federal Prosecutor General said. Among other things, a “cooperation agreement” is said to have existed between the company and a German university. It is said to have been the espionage’s “medium for establishing contact and collaboration” with German scientists and researchers.

Study on the status of machine parts

The Federal Prosecutor General writes that the first phase involved preparing a study for a Chinese contractual partner on the state of the art in machine parts. These parts are also important for the operation of powerful ship engines, for example in combat ships. The employee of the Chinese secret service MSS was behind the Chinese contractual partner.

At the time of their arrest, the accused were said to have already held further negotiations about research projects that “could be useful for expanding China’s maritime combat power in particular.” In exchange for payment, special lasers are said to have been delivered to the MSS in China without authorization, although the instrument is subject to the EU’s dual-use regulation for both civil and possible military use.

They are now accused of acting as secret service agents and violating the Foreign Trade Act. The accused will be brought before the investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice this Monday and Tuesday. There the arrest warrants will be announced to them and a decision will be made about the execution of the pre-trial detention.