Germany charges US citizen with spying for China

BERLIN

Germany’s Federal Prosecutor's Office announced Monday that it has charged an American citizen, who worked at a military base in Germany, with alleged espionage for China.

The suspect, named Martin D., is accused of offering sensitive US military information to a Chinese intelligence service.

"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 top prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The State Security Senate of the Higher Regional Court in Koblenz will decide whether to admit the charges and schedule a trial.

According to authorities, Martin D. is claimed to have worked for a civilian contractor of the US Department of Defense between 2017 and spring 2023, and has been stationed at a US military base in Germany since at least 2020, the statement added.

In the summer of 2024, he allegedly repeatedly contacted Chinese government agencies and offered to provide sensitive US military information.

Initial findings indicate that no data was actually transferred.

According to information from the German Press Agency (DPA), investigators are also examining whether dissatisfaction with his former employer may have motivated his actions.

Federal Criminal Police Office officers arrested Martin D. in Frankfurt am Main in November 2024 and searched his apartment. He has remained in custody since then.

Not an Isolated Case

In recent months, Germany has arrested several individuals suspected of spying for Chinese intelligence.

The arrest in April 2024 of a former employee of Maximilian Krah, a European parliament lawmaker of the far-right party Alternative for Germany, has particularly attracted attention.

He is alleged to have transmitted information from the European Parliament and spied on Chinese opposition figures in Germany. The trial is ongoing.