Treason: Two Britons charged with spying for China

Two people are in custody in Great Britain on suspicion Spying Charged for China. They are accused of receiving or transmitting documents or information “believed to be directly or indirectly useful to the enemy” between late 2021 and February 2023. London police said. The men will be produced in court on Friday.

The prosecution followed a “very complex investigation” involving “very serious allegations”, counter-terrorism chief Dominic Murphy said. He declined to comment further. What kind of information does a kidnapping charge contain? China The commission does not say that it has to act.

The report also says two arrests took place in Oxfordshire and Edinburgh in March 2023. The two arrested at the time were released in 2023 and are now accused.

The accused is reported to have worked in the British Parliament

One of them is apparently a former employee of the British Parliament. In September, British media wrote that one of the defendants was a parliamentary research assistant when the counter-terrorism unit, which is responsible for espionage cases, reported the arrests in March 2023. He was associated with members of the ruling Conservative Party there.

Among them was current Defense Minister Tom Stimmehut. However, the minister had only limited contact with the suspect, which reportedly dates back to the period before his inauguration. The case sparked diplomatic tensions in September. In light of the investigation, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak accused China of interfering in parliamentary democracy of Great Britain Before. China has “strongly” denied the spying allegations.

Lawyers for the accused former parliamentary staffer issued a statement protesting his “absolute innocence”. He said he has spent his career educating others about the challenges and threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party.

They have also been arrested in connection with espionage in Germany

Earlier on Monday, it was announced that two men and a woman suspected of spying for China had been arrested in Germany. All three suspects are German nationals, the federal prosecutor's office said. They have been accused of secretly providing Chinese intelligence with information about “innovative” military technology that could be used by the Chinese navy. They exported a special laser to China without authorization.

Official reports released so far on the two cases suggest there is no connection between the charges in Great Britain and the arrests in Germany.