German far-right lawmaker whose assistant was arrested for spying for China keeps up election bid
A prominent German far-right lawmaker says he will dismiss an assistant who was arrested on suspicion of spying for China, but will remain the Alternative for Germany party’s top candidate in the upcoming European Parliament elections
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A prominent German far-right lawmaker said Wednesday that he will dismiss an assistant who was arrested on suspicion of spying for China, but will remain the Alternative for Germany party's top candidate in the upcoming European Parliament elections.
Maximilian Krah's assistant, Jian Guo, was arrested Monday. Prosecutors accuse Guo — a German national who had worked for Krah since his election to the European Union legislature in 2019 — of working for a Chinese intelligence service and of repeatedly passing on information on negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament in January.
Prosecutors allege that he also snooped on Chinese dissidents in Germany. On Tuesday night, a judge ordered Guo held in custody pending a possible indictment.
The arrest cast an unflattering light on the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which already faced criticism for having Russia-friendly positions. The European Parliament elections will take place June 9 in Germany.
Krah said Wednesday he had held “a very friendly and constructive, but appropriately serious” meeting with the party's leaders. Now that Guo has been ordered kept in custody, “I will dismiss the employee concerned today,” he said.
“I am very much interested in clearing this up, and will endeavor to find out what exactly he is accused of,” Krah said, adding that his office would work to “reconstruct everything” Guo worked on.
Krah conceded that “the election campaign is, of course, being terribly overshadowed by this matter.” He said that, as a result, he won't appear at AfD's official opening campaign rally Saturday in the southwestern town of Donaueschingen.
“But if you think this the end of me as the lead candidate, I must disappoint you,” he told reporters. “I am and remain the top candidate; what this is about now is refocusing the election campaign on European issues and getting away from this very unpleasant matter.”
Krah said there was no wrongdoing on his own part.
News of Guo's 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.
Also on Monday, British prosecutors said a former researcher working in the U.K. Parliament and another man were charged with spying for China.