Germany arrests Chinese accused of spying

BERLIN

Germany has announced the arrest of a Chinese woman accused of spying on the country's defense industry while working in a logistics company.

The suspect, named only as Yaqi X., allegedly reported to another Chinese spy now under arrest, Jian G., who was working in the office of a German far-right member of the European Parliament, Maximilian Krah.

The woman arrested on Sept. 30 is "strongly suspected of acting as an intelligence agent for a Chinese secret service," federal prosecutors said in a statement.

Yaqi X. worked for a company that provides logistics services, including at Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany, they said.

She allegedly used her position to gather information on "the transport of military equipment and persons with connections to a German arms company."

Between mid-2023 and February this year, she "repeatedly sent information on flights, cargo and passengers at the airport to an employee of a Chinese secret service, namely Jian G., who is being prosecuted separately."

Jian G. was arrested in April on suspicion of spying while working in the Brussels office of German MEP Krah of the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

Yaqi X. was brought before an investigating judge of the Federal Court of Justice who served her with the arrest warrant and ordered her to be remanded in custody.

Her Leipzig home and workplace were also searched.