The press release lists the suspect as “Dr. Klaus L.” who they identify as being a political scientist who worked at Hanns Seidel Foundation since the 1980s and has been running a think tank since 2001.
The press German federal prosecutor’s office alleges that Dr. Klaus L. has been supplying the Chinese secret service with information since 2010.
The press release says (translated from German to English),
“On the occasion of a lecture tour to Shanghai in June 2010, members of a Chinese intelligence service got in touch with the accused in order to win him over to work. In the subsequent period up to November 2019, the accused regularly provided the Chinese secret service with information in the run-up to or after state visits or multinational conferences as well as on certain current issues. He obtained these primarily from his numerous high-ranking political contacts through the institute.”
The German public broadcaster ARD reported that Dr. Klaus L. also was an informant for the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) for 50 years.
German public broadcaster ARD reported that “his Chinese command officers equipped him with technology to transmit information in encrypted form.” and that it is “unclear whether the Chinese service knew about L’s links to the BND.”
