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April 23 (UPI) -- German authorities on Tuesday said they arrested an employee of a European Parliament member on suspicion of spying for China. German prosecutors said the man -- identified as Jian G., a German national -- was arrested by the State Criminal Police Office of Saxony in Dresden and accused of acting as an agent for a foreign secret service.
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"Since 2019 he has been working for a German member of the European Parliament," German prosecutors said in a statement. "In January 2024, the accused repeatedly passed on information about negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament to its intelligence client."
He was also accused of spying on Chinese opposition members in Germany.
Prosecutors said his apartment was searched and he would appear before a judge who would decide on whether he would face pre-trial detention.
Maximilian Krah a member of European Parliament from the far-right Alternative for Germany Party identified the suspect as his aide Jian Guo, adding that he learned of the arrest from the press and did not have prior knowledge of the alleged spying.
"Spying for a foreign state is a serious accusation," said Krah. "If the allegations prove true, this would result in the immediate termination of his employment."
An AfP spokesperson said the allegations against Jian G. were "very worrying" but the party will wait for additional information to come out from the investigation.
German prosecutors arrested three people on Monday for sharing "innovative technologies" with Chinese intelligence. In that case, authorities accused German nationals Herwig F., Ina F. and Thomas R. with working for Chinese intelligence at the time.
The information in question dealt with machine parts important to operating strong combat ship engines. Prosecutors said the three were in negotiations on projects that could benefit China's maritime fighting fleet at the time of their arrests.
