ALBAWABA - On Monday, authorities arrested three German nationals in western Germany on suspicion of espionage for China, prosecutors said.
The suspects were arrested in Duesseldorf and Bad Homburg in western Germany and their homes and workplaces were also searched. The three suspects, named Herwig F., Ina F., and Thomas R., "are strongly suspected of having worked for a Chinese secret service" before June 2022, according to initial reports.
Thomas R. is suspected of acting as an agent for a Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) employee in Germany, gathering information about technology that could be utilized for military purposes.
He is believed to have made contact with Herwig F. and his wife Ina F., who own a company in Duesseldorf, in order to gain access to such technologies and network with the German scientific and research community. According to authorities, the business negotiated an arrangement with a German university to provide "knowledge transfer".
According to them, the initial step of the project involved preparing a research for a Chinese "contractual partner" on cutting-edge machine parts utilized in powerful ship engines.
According to them, the contractual partner was the MSS employee for whom Thomas R. worked, and the initiative was funded by Chinese state agencies.
At the time of their detention, the suspects were allegedly in further discussions regarding research projects that could help China's marine fighting capabilities. The trio is also accused of obtaining a specific laser from Germany on behalf of the MSS and shipping it to China without authority.
