Germany arrests EU Parliament staffer over bombshell claims he spied for China

German police arrested an Alternative for Germany (AfD) aide who works in the European Parliament over accusations he spied for China.

The staffer, named as Jian G. by German authorities, works for MEP Maximilian Krah, who is the AfD’s top candidate in the European Parliament election in June.

“Jian G. is an employee of a Chinese secret service,” the German Public Prosecutor said in a bombshell statement Tuesday morning.

“He has been working for a German Member of the European Parliament since 2019. In January 2024, the accused repeatedly passed on information about negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament to his intelligence service client,” the prosecutor added.

The German Greens were quick to call for an accelerated probe in Brussels over the arrest.

“Autocracies like China and Russia are actively trying to undermine our democracies in Europe. This must stop. The investigation within the European Parliament must be speeded up,” said Terry Reintke, lead candidate for the European Greens. “We demand preliminary results before the elections. Consequences must follow swiftly. People who attack the integrity of our democracies must be held to account.”

The staffer, named as Jian G. by German authorities, works for MEP Maximilian Krah, who is the AfD’s top candidate in the European Parliament election in June. | European Parliament

German authorities on Monday also arrested three people suspected of supplying information on military technology to a Chinese intelligence service. 

The Chinese Embassy in Berlin denied the allegations, urging Germany “to stop exploiting the espionage accusation to politically manipulate the image of China and defame China,” German public broadcaster Deutschlandfunkt reported.