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Germany Detains Married Couple in Chinese Military Spy Operation
(MENAFN) German authorities have detained two suspected Chinese intelligence operatives accused of conducting high-tech espionage with potential military applications, prosecutors announced Thursday — the latest case to expose the growing reach of foreign intelligence activity on German soil.
The suspects, identified as Xuejun C. and Hua S., were taken into custody Wednesday in Munich following a coordinated investigation by federal police and the BfV, Germany's domestic intelligence service.
The Federal Prosecutor's Office confirmed that the Federal Court of Justice had ordered both German nationals held in pretrial detention after presiding judges reviewed preliminary evidence and determined sufficient grounds existed for custody.
According to prosecutors, the married couple operated as active agents of a Chinese intelligence service, systematically gathering intelligence on "high-tech capabilities with potential military applications" and funneling sensitive technical data to Chinese authorities and companies with ties to the defense industry.
The pair built an extensive network of contacts within Germany's academic and scientific communities, cultivating relationships with researchers at universities and research institutions — among them professors specializing in aerospace engineering, computer science, and artificial intelligence. To gain access, investigators say the couple routinely operated under false identities, posing at times as interpreters or employees of an automotive manufacturer.
In a particularly calculated maneuver, the suspects arranged for scientists to deliver paid lectures, presenting the engagements as talks before civilian audiences. In reality, prosecutors allege, the sessions were staged before representatives of China's state-owned defense companies.
The suspects, identified as Xuejun C. and Hua S., were taken into custody Wednesday in Munich following a coordinated investigation by federal police and the BfV, Germany's domestic intelligence service.
The Federal Prosecutor's Office confirmed that the Federal Court of Justice had ordered both German nationals held in pretrial detention after presiding judges reviewed preliminary evidence and determined sufficient grounds existed for custody.
According to prosecutors, the married couple operated as active agents of a Chinese intelligence service, systematically gathering intelligence on "high-tech capabilities with potential military applications" and funneling sensitive technical data to Chinese authorities and companies with ties to the defense industry.
The pair built an extensive network of contacts within Germany's academic and scientific communities, cultivating relationships with researchers at universities and research institutions — among them professors specializing in aerospace engineering, computer science, and artificial intelligence. To gain access, investigators say the couple routinely operated under false identities, posing at times as interpreters or employees of an automotive manufacturer.
In a particularly calculated maneuver, the suspects arranged for scientists to deliver paid lectures, presenting the engagements as talks before civilian audiences. In reality, prosecutors allege, the sessions were staged before representatives of China's state-owned defense companies.
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