The federal prosecutor’s office is today investigating the office of the MEP of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) Maximilian Cra in Brussels, after his associate was arrested on suspicion of spying for China, German public television ARD reported.

According to the report, the relevant permission from the European Parliament was given this morning, at the request of the German authorities. However, it is clarified that the investigation concerns the 43-year-old Jan G. and not the MEP, who is nevertheless being examined as a witness in the case. Federal prosecutors believe the suspect was spying on Chinese dissidents in Germany and passing information from European Parliament circles to Chinese intelligence. Jan G. came to Germany from China in 2002, studied at Dresden University of Technology and has obtained German citizenship. ARD also reported that a few years ago he had offered to work at Federal Agency for the Protection of the Constitution as an informant, but was rejected and referred to the Service’s local office in Saxony. According to BILD newspaper, he worked there as an informant from 2007 to 2018. A year later he was hired by Maximilian Kra in his office in Brussels.

However, the MEP himself is at the same time the target of the German authorities, who are investigating evidence of AfD political funding from Moscow.