U.S. Citizen Indicted for Spying for China in Germany
(MENAFN) Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office on Monday filed espionage charges against a U.S. citizen, accusing him of attempting to pass sensitive military intelligence to Chinese operatives while working at an American base in Germany.
Identified only as Martin D., the suspect allegedly approached Chinese intelligence in mid-2024 with offers to share classified U.S. military information. He had been employed by a civilian contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense from 2017 until spring 2023, and had been stationed at a U.S. military installation in Germany since at least 2020, according to prosecutors.
“The accused is sufficiently suspected of having agreed to act as an intelligence agent for a foreign intelligence service in a particularly serious case,” the prosecutor's office said in an official statement.
The Higher Regional Court in Koblenz will now determine whether the charges meet the threshold to proceed to trial.
Investigators believe that, although Martin D. allegedly contacted Chinese government bodies multiple times in summer 2024, no actual transfer of classified data occurred.
According to details obtained by media, authorities are also looking into whether personal grievances with his former employer may have influenced his actions.
Martin D. was arrested by Federal Criminal Police Office officers in Frankfurt am Main in November 2024. A search of his residence was conducted at the time, and he has remained in pre-trial detention since.
Not an Isolated Incident
The case adds to a growing list of suspected Chinese espionage operations on German soil. In April 2024, a former staffer for Maximilian Krah, a Member of the European Parliament from the far-right Alternative for Germany party, was detained over allegations of spying for China.
The ex-employee is accused of leaking European Parliament information and conducting surveillance on Chinese dissidents in Germany. His trial is currently underway.
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