German far-right EU lawmaker's Brussels office raided in spying probe
"Today, my ex-employee's office in Brussels was searched. This was to be expected after his arrest and is therefore not surprising.
Maximilian Krah (IANS)
BRUSSELS: Investigators in Brussels have searched the European Parliament office of far-right German legislator Maximilian Krah in connection with suspected espionage by his former assistant, Jian Guo, German prosecutors said on Tuesday.
The German Police arrested Guo on suspicion of espionage on April 22.
Krah, a leading member of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Europe, fired Guo following the allegations that the parliamentary aid was spying for China.
In a statement on X, Krah said: "Today, my ex-employee's office in Brussels was searched. This was to be expected after his arrest and is therefore not surprising. The only remarkable thing is that it took so long. Neither I nor any other employees are affected."
The German Public Prosecutor's statement said that both Krah's and Guo's offices were searched on Tuesday morning.
"The measures are part of the proceedings against Jian Guo on suspicion of acting as an intelligence agent."
Meanwhile, the search of Krah's office is according to his status as a witness.
Guo's Brussels flat was searched on April 24, the statement added.
A spokesman for the Belgian Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed to DPA news agency that authorities had entered the offices at the request of German prosecutors.
Krah sits on the European Parliament's Trade Committee and is his party's lead candidate ahead of European elections in a month.
Prosecutors allege that Guo passed sensitive information from inside the European Parliament to Chinese intelligence and also may have relayed information about Chinese political activists living in Europe.
