The convict worked as a civilian contractor at a US military base in Germany, from where he repeatedly contacted Chinese government agencies offering strategic data.
A court in the German city of Koblenz on Wednesday sentenced a United States citizen to two years and eight months in prison for providing sensitive information to China while working as a civilian contractor at a US military base in Germany. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP agency.
- The American was punished for providing information to China.
- He worked at an American military base in Germany.
- He was detained in November 2024 in Frankfurt.
- Germany sees an increase in espionage cases.
- The rise in espionage is linked to both Russia and China.
He offered sensitive information about the US military to Chinese government agencies
Police arrested this man identified as Martin D. in November 2024 in Frankfurt. He has been in pre-trial detention since then. Prosecutors subsequently accused him of “several times contacting Chinese government agencies and offering them sensitive information concerning the US military.”
Based on the indictment, the man worked as a contractor for the US Department of Defense between 2017 and 2023, and at least since 2020 at an American military base in Germany.
An increase in suspected espionage
Since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, Germany has seen an increase in cases of alleged espionage linked to Russia. German authorities accuse Moscow of “hybrid warfare”, which Russia denies.
In addition, there has also been an increase in espionage cases linked to China. AFP notes that the best-known case in Germany involving China is the espionage accusation against Jian Guo, a one-time assistant to former Alternative for Germany (AfD) MEP Maximilian Krah. In September, Gu was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison.
