BERLIN: A US citizen has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison by a German court for offering to pass sensitive information to Chinese government agencies. The sentencing took place on Wednesday, 11 February, for the individual identified partially as Martin D., who worked as a civilian contractor at a US military base in Germany.

Prosecutors had charged Martin D. in 2024 with contacting Chinese government agencies on multiple occasions and offering to provide sensitive information from the US military to a Chinese intelligence service. The defendant was employed as a contractor for the US Defence Department between 2017 and 2023, including at a US military base in Germany since at least 2020.

Martin D. was apprehended by German police in Frankfurt in November 2024 and has remained in pretrial detention since. The trial proceedings, held in the western city of Koblenz, were partly conducted behind closed doors.

Germany hosts numerous US military bases, which were established after World War II. Over 35,000 US troops are stationed in the country, supported by approximately 11,000 civilians who provide services such as logistics, catering, healthcare, and security.

Broader Espionage Context in Germany

Germany has observed an increase in suspected espionage cases, particularly those linked to Russia, since the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. German authorities have accused Moscow of waging “hybrid warfare,” a claim that Moscow denies. Concurrently, a number of espionage cases connected to China have emerged, contributing to growing pressure on Berlin’s relationship with Beijing.

In a notable recent case involving China, Jian Guo, a former aide to German far-right politician Maximilian Krah, was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison in September. A court in Dresden found Guo guilty of acting as an agent for a Chinese intelligence service while working for Krah, a member of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Source: AFP