A German arrested on suspicion of espionage – an assistant to the main candidate in the European Union elections

The arrest took place on Tuesday night in the city of Dresden, southeastern Germany. He is not believed to be linked to previous arrests.

According to prosecutors, the suspect, a German citizen of Chinese origin, allegedly passed information about the European Parliament to Chinese intelligence. He is also suspected of spying on Chinese opposition figures in Germany BBC.

At the same time, the man worked as an assistant to European politician Maximilian Krah, the front-runner for the right-wing Alternative for Germany party, in the European Union elections.

On X, for example. “Spying for a foreign country is a serious charge,” Maximilian Krah wrote on Twitter. “If these allegations turn out to be true, it will result in the immediate termination of his employment.”

He had a unique vision of who China's friends were

It's probably not about any classified information, says SVT's European correspondent, Ulrika Bergsten, at Rapport. But this man had a unique opportunity to determine who China's friends were and who they could influence in the future.

What is more dangerous is that he spied on Chinese dissidents, which means the Chinese opposition in his new homeland, Germany.

Ulrika Bergsten says the reaction in the EU Parliament to her revelations was strong. But that was not surprising in light of recent revelations about alleged spying from China in particular.

– This is something you are becoming more and more aware of, even as a Swedish parliamentarian. You must protect information and you must use encrypted services. Mindfulness has come into its own in recent years, as several people in Parliament have told me.

He rejects the charges

China's Foreign Ministry says the arrest aims to “discredit and suppress China” and destroy cooperation between the country and Europe.