Germany arrests a US citizen over accusations of spying for China

BERLIN -- Germany’s federal prosecutor office said it arrested an American citizen on Thursday who allegedly spied for China.

The office said that the suspect, who was only identified as Martin D., was arrested in Frankfurt and that his home was being searched.

The accused, who until recently worked for the U.S. Armed Forces in Germany, is strongly suspected of having agreed to act as an intelligence agent for a foreign secret service, the statement said.

Earlier this year, he contacted Chinese government agencies and offered to transmit sensitive information from the U.S. military to a Chinese intelligence service, according to an investigation by Germany’s domestic intelligence service.

He had obtained the information in question in the course of his work in the U.S. army, the prosecutor’s statement said, without giving any further information.

German news agency dpa reported it appeared the suspect had not managed to transfer any data to Chinese authorities before the arrest.

German investigators have exposed several people suspected of spying for China this year.

Last month, German authorities arrested a Chinese national accused of passing information on a major air freight hub to a man who is suspected of spying for China.

And in April, a man who worked for a prominent German far-right lawmaker in the European Parliament was arrested on suspicion of spying for China.

News of that arrest came a day after three Germans suspected of spying for China and arranging to transfer information on technology with potential military uses were arrested in a separate case.