Far-right German MP's ex-aide on trial for spying for China
The German national, partially identified as Jian G., allegedly worked for Chinese intelligence from 2002, including while he was an aide to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) MEP Krah between 2019 and 2024.
Jian G. is accused by prosecutors in Dresden of using that position to pass on information about debates and decisions at the European Parliament, as well as some documents deemed highly sensitive.
He is also suspected of being the handler for a second alleged operative, Chinese national Yaqi X., who is accused of spying on elements of the German arms industry.
Jian G. is also suspected of gathering intelligence on leading AfD politicians and spying on Chinese dissidents in Germany.
This included posing as an opponent of the Chinese government on social media in order to gain contacts in the opposition scene.
The second defendant, Yaqi X., worked at a company which provided Leipzig airport with logistics services and is accused of helping Jian G. access information on flights and passengers.
The information she passed on focused on flights transporting defence equipment and "people with links to a German arms company".
According to German media reports, she particularly targeted arms giant Rheinmetall, which is involved in making Leopard tanks and which uses Leipzig airport for cargo flights.
- AfD 'power struggle' -
Both defendants have been in detention since they were arrested last year.
The trial could be particularly embarrassing for the AfD if it leads to the information Jian G. collected on the party becoming public.
According to news weekly Der Spiegel, investigators have seized records that Jian G. kept of conversations with Krah and other AfD politicians in which they discussed the private life of party co-leader Alice Weidel and alleged power struggles with her colleague Tino Chrupalla.
Krah denied to the magazine ever having discussed such matters with Jian G.
Krah was the AfD's top candidate in last year's European elections, but was excluded from its delegation after comments in which he minimised the crimes of the Nazis' notorious SS.
However, he was welcomed back into the AfD fold for this year's German general election and now sits as one of the party's MPs in the Bundestag.
The trial is expected to last until the end of September and Krah himself has been called to appear as a witness.
Krah is also being investigated by prosecutors in Dresden on suspicion of money laundering and corruption during his time as a member of the European Parliament.
According to Der Spiegel, between 2019 and 2023 he received more than 50,000 euros ($57,900) in payments from firms linked to Jian G.
Krah denies all wrongdoing and says the accusations against him are "politically motivated".
jsk/fz/sbk
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
25 minutes ago
- New York Times
On the Hunt for Spies, Iran Executes a Nuclear Scientist
Iran executed one of its nuclear scientists on Wednesday over allegations that he was a spy for Israel and had facilitated Israel's assassination of another nuclear scientist during the two countries' war in June, according to the judiciary's news outlet, Mizan. The judiciary said the scientist, Roozbeh Vadi, had worked at one of the country's most sensitive and important nuclear sites and had access to the type of classified information sought by Iran's enemies. Mr. Vadi was executed by hanging after he was found guilty of espionage and providing information to Israel, the judiciary said. The execution follows a 12-day war with Israel and the United States in June, when Israel assassinated at least 30 Iranian senior military commanders and 11 nuclear scientists. Iranian officials have acknowledged publicly that Israel's widespread infiltration of its security and intelligence apparatuses enabled Israel to eliminate key parts of Iran's military chain of command in the war's first night and helped it launch drone attacks from inside Iran. Following the war, officials have blamed Israel for a series of explosions and fires around the country. While the two countries have been locked in a long-running shadow war, the apparent accuracy of Israel's information and its launching attacks inside the country has rattled Iranian officials. Since the war ended, authorities have swept up hundreds of people, including activists and dissidents, on suspicions of spying and threatening national security, Iranian media reports and rights groups say. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Texas soldier with top security clearance charged with attempting to pass sensitive tank data to Russia: DOJ
A U.S. Army soldier in Texas with a top security clearance has been charged with handing over sensitive information about the military's main battle tank in exchange for Russian citizenship. Taylor Adam Lee, 22, was arrested Wednesday on charges of attempted transmission of national defense information to a foreign adversary and attempted export of controlled technical data without a license. "This arrest is an alarming reminder of the serious threat facing our U.S. Army," said Brigadier General Sean F. Stinchon, the commanding general of Army Counterintelligence Command. Federal prosecutors said Lee attempted to hand over information to someone he believed to be a Russian intelligence officer in exchange for Russian citizenship. Lee was stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso where he held a Top Secret (TS) / Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) security clearance, the Justice Department said. In June, he allegedly transmitted information regarding the M1A2 Abrams tank online and offered assistance to Russia, stating, "the USA is not happy with me for trying to expose their weaknesses." "At this point I'd even volunteer to assist the Russian Federation when I'm there in any way," he allegedly said. During a July meeting between Lee and someone he believed to be a representative of the Russian government, Lee allegedly passed an SD card, which contained documents and information on the Abrams battle tank, another armored fighting vehicle used by the U.S. military, and combat operations, prosecutors said. Several documents contained technical data that Lee wasn't authorized to provide, prosecutors said. Other documents on the SD card were marked as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and featured banner warnings and dissemination controls. During the meeting, Lee allegedly said that the information on the SD card was sensitive and likely classified. Lee also discussed obtaining and providing a specific piece of hardware inside the M1A2 Abrams tank to the Russian government, authorities said. On July 31, he delivered what appeared to be the hardware to a storage unit in El Paso. He then sent a message to the individual he believed to be a representative of the Russian government stating: "Mission accomplished." Fox News Digital has reached out to the Army. "Today's arrest is a message to anyone thinking about betraying the U.S. – especially service members who have sworn to protect our homeland," said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division. "The FBI and our partners will do everything in our power to protect Americans and safeguard classified information." Lee's arrest came on the same day that a soldier shot five other soldiers in Fort Stewart, Georgia. Sgt. Quornelius Radford, 28, shot five soldiers in the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) area of the installation, authorities said. All the soldiers were treated on-site and then transported to Winn Army Community Hospital, according to Fort Stewart officials. Radford, who has been apprehended, serves as an automated logistics sergeant assigned to the ABCT.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Russia's Plot to Kill a German Defense CEO
Armin Papperger, the chief executive officer of Rheinmetall AG, Germany's largest defense company, became a Russian target following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as Rheinmetall provided Ukraine with armored vehicles, military trucks, and ammunition. Stephanie Baker has the details in today's "Big Take" on Bloomberg Television.
