Germany arrests US man accused of offering to spy for China

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A former American employee of U.S. forces stationed in Germany was arrested for allegedly offering to pass information about them to China, German prosecutors said Thursday.

According to prosecutors, the man was only named as “Martin D.” was “held on suspicion of expressing willingness to conduct intelligence activities for a foreign intelligence agency,” adding that he “contacted Chinese officials in 2024 and offered to provide them with sensitive information about the U.S. military.” hand over”.

According to the public prosecutor's office, he was arrested in Frankfurt on Thursday and his apartment was also searched.

They say he worked for U.S. forces “until recently” and offered to share with China “information he received in the course of his work for U.S. forces.”

The investigations would be carried out “in close coordination” with the German secret service, it said.

Last month, Germany said it planned to tighten security controls for employees in sensitive government and business sectors amid growing espionage fears.

Berlin has seen a rise in suspected espionage cases linked to Russia and China since the Ukraine war, with relations with Beijing coming under increasing pressure.

In the most high-profile case allegedly involving China, an adviser to a German far-right MEP was arrested in April on suspicion of spying for Beijing.

jsk/sr/sbk