Germany's federal prosecutor's office on Tuesday pressed espionage charges against the former aide of Maximilian Krah, a far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) politician, and a Chinese national, both of whom are accused of working for Chinese intelligence agencies.

Simultaneously, three more people were arrested in the western city of Düsseldorf and the town of Bad Homburg, near Frankfurt, also on suspicion of spying for Beijing.

Jian G., a German citizen whose surname is given only as an initial in accordance with German privacy laws, is accused of passing on classified information concerning negotiations and decisions within the European Parliament.

He is suspected of illegally accessing more than 500 documents which the European Parliament, of which his boss Krah was a member between 2019 and 2025, had classified as "particularly sensitive."

G., who was arrested in the eastern German city of Dresden in April 2024, is also suspected of gathering information on senior AfD figures including party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla.

According to research by Germany's Der Spiegel magazine, G. gleaned assessments of their roles, status and positions from confidential conversations with Krah, whose Brussels office was searched on Tuesday – purely as a "witness measure," according to prosecutors, who have also accused a Chinese national of espionage.

Chinese national accused of spying on German military logistics

The woman, who worked for a logistics company at Leipzig/Halle airport, was arrested in the eastern city of Leipzig in November on suspicion of having passed on information on flights, freight and passengers at the airport to Krah's former aide.

The information allegedly pertained in particular to people with connections to an unnamed German arms manufacturer and the transport of arms-related goods. The woman is also suspected of working as an agent for Chinese intelligence.

Both detainees are currently being held in custody.

A spokesperson for AfD chief Weidel said the party had no information beyond "the vague statement from the state prosecutor." Her party colleague Chrupalla is yet to comment.

AfD: Krah hopes for 'clarity'

Krah said he hoped a potential trial would bring "clarity" in the matter.

"I would like to know whether I've been deceived and whether these are reliable accusations," he told the German dpa news agency.

On social media, he added: "The only thing I would accuse myself of in the context of my former colleague of Chinese heritage is not have paid more attention."

The three other people arrested on Tuesday in Düsseldorf and Bad Homburg, two men and one woman, are suspected of having used research projects to access information about military technology to pass on to Chinese intelligence.

Beijing has rejected reports of operating spies in Germany and spoken of "libel."

Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez