(MENAFN) Taiwanese authorities have detained six current and former military personnel, along with one Chinese national, in connection with suspected espionage activities, according to reports on Wednesday.

The High Court in Taiwan approved prosecutors’ request to hold six retired and active Taiwanese military officers and a Chinese man accused of leaking sensitive military information to China, as stated by reports.

Prosecutors allege that the Chinese suspect, Ding Xiaohu, “allegedly recruited former Taiwanese officers to gather classified military information.”

Mainland China has not issued any comment regarding the espionage allegations from Taipei.
Reports indicate that $356,444 was transferred to Taiwan to support the network’s operations. Authorities believe the group began forming in 2018, with active intelligence-gathering activities commencing in 2023 before the network was uncovered last year.

The seven individuals were previously indicted by the High Prosecutors’ Office on charges under the National Security Act, which carries a minimum prison sentence of five years.

Separately, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry has started distributing an updated civil defense handbook, titled “In Case of Crisis: Taiwan's National Public Safety Guide,” to roughly 9.83 million registered households. The distribution is expected to be completed by January 5.

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