3 Germans Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for China, Transferring Info on Potential Military Tech

German Police - May 24, 2017. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer
German Police - May 24, 2017. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer
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3 Germans Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for China, Transferring Info on Potential Military Tech

German Police - May 24, 2017. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer
German Police - May 24, 2017. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer

Three people suspected of spying for China and facilitating the transfer of information on technology with potential military uses were arrested in Germany on Monday.
Prosecutors said that the three German citizens are accused of having acted for Chinese intelligence since some point before June 2022. They are also suspected of violating German export laws, The Associated Press said.
One of the suspects, identified only as Thomas R. in line with German privacy laws, was allegedly an agent for an employee of China's Ministry of State Security and procured information in Germany on “militarily usable innovative technologies” for that person, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
To do that, prosecutors said, he used Herwig F. and Ina. F, a couple who own a company in Duesseldorf that was used to contact and work with German researchers.
The couple allegedly set up a research transfer agreement with an unidentified German company, the first step in which was to draw up a study for a Chinese partner on the technology of machine parts that could be used for powerful ship engines, including those in battleships. Thomas R.'s handler at the MSS was behind the Chinese partner and the project was financed by the Chinese state, prosecutors said.
At the time of the arrests, the suspects were in negotiations on further research projects that could be useful for expanding the combat strength of the Chinese navy, they added.
The suspects also procured with MSS funding a special laser and exported it to China without permission, although it was classified as a “dual-use” instrument under European Union rules, prosecutors said.
The homes and offices of the suspects, who were arrested in Duesseldorf and in Bad Homburg, near Frankfurt, were searched.



Russian Drone Attack Injures Three People in Ukraine’s Odesa, Governor Says 

A man stands amid debris in the aftermath of a mass overnight drone attack by Russian forces, at a location given as Odesa, Ukraine, April 21, 2025, in this still image taken from video. (Mayor of Odesa Hennadiy Trukhanov via Telegram/Handout via Reuters)
A man stands amid debris in the aftermath of a mass overnight drone attack by Russian forces, at a location given as Odesa, Ukraine, April 21, 2025, in this still image taken from video. (Mayor of Odesa Hennadiy Trukhanov via Telegram/Handout via Reuters)
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Russian Drone Attack Injures Three People in Ukraine’s Odesa, Governor Says 

A man stands amid debris in the aftermath of a mass overnight drone attack by Russian forces, at a location given as Odesa, Ukraine, April 21, 2025, in this still image taken from video. (Mayor of Odesa Hennadiy Trukhanov via Telegram/Handout via Reuters)
A man stands amid debris in the aftermath of a mass overnight drone attack by Russian forces, at a location given as Odesa, Ukraine, April 21, 2025, in this still image taken from video. (Mayor of Odesa Hennadiy Trukhanov via Telegram/Handout via Reuters)

Russian forces launched a mass overnight drone attack on Ukraine's Black Sea port city of Odesa, wounding three people and damaging many apartments, local officials said early on Tuesday.

"The enemy targeted a residential area in a densely populated district of Odesa," Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov wrote on the Telegram messaging app, sharing pictures of a fire blazing and apartment buildings with windows smashed and facades damaged.

Governor Oleh Kiper said that three people were injured in the attack and were receiving medical help.

The Ukrainian air force said on Tuesday that Russia launched 54 drones in an attack overnight, of which 38 were shot down and 16 did not reach their targets, likely due to electronic warfare countermeasures.

Kiper said the attack on Odesa damaged dwellings, civilian infrastructure, an educational institution and vehicles.

Videos shared by the emergency services showed crews putting out a large fire in one of the damaged buildings.

Odesa, with its three ports, has been a frequent target of Russian attacks in the more than three-year-old war with Russia.