THREE Chinese spies have reportedly been arrested in Germany for transmitting military secrets to Beijing and stealing smart laser technology.
Federal Attorney General Jens Rommel detained the trio of suspected spies after accusing them of passing on top-secret military information to the Chinese secret service.
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Investigators this morning arrested a 59-year-old man from Bad Homburg and a couple from Düsseldorf on strong suspicion of “secret service agent activity.”
According to German prosecutors, they also violated the Foreign Trade Act.
The main suspect is called Thomas R and is said to have been in contact with an employee of the Chinese secret service MSS.
He leveraged his connections in Germany to obtain data on “innovative technologies that could be used militarily,” officials say.
Officers believe he enlisted the help of Herwig, 72, and Ina F, 58, to obtain the secrets.
The couple run a company in Düsseldorf and researchers are convinced that the company could have served “as a means to establish contact and collaboration” with German scientists and researchers.
Some of the information that has been passed on relates to modern machine parts for boat engines.
The engines are commonly used on combat ships in war zones.
Furthermore, the defendants would have acquired a special laser for the MSS in Germany and exported it to China without authorization.