In late September 2024, a Chinese national was arrested in Leipzig for allegedly spying on behalf of China, passing logistics and armament transport data from Leipzig/Halle airport to a detained former AfD assistant.

Intelligence & EspionageHuman Intelligence (HUMINT)Recruitment of locals

Aggressor

Summary

German federal prosecutors arrested Chinese citizen Yaqi X. in Leipzig on espionage charges. She worked in logistics at Leipzig/Halle airport and is accused of spying for China by collecting and transmitting detailed information on flights, cargo—including military shipments—and passengers associated with German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall. The transmissions occurred between August 2023 and February 2024, channeled to Jian G., who served as assistant to AfD MEP Maximilian Krah and was arrested in April 2024 for spying for the Chinese Ministry of State Security. Jian G. is accused of spying on Chinese dissidents in Germany and supplying sensitive European Parliament information to China. Yaqi X. was placed in pre-trial detention and faces a prison sentence of up to five years. The case highlights ongoing Chinese espionage targeting European political and defense sectors.

Classification

Confidence: High

The article details a concrete espionage incident involving Chinese intelligence targeting German defense industry and political institutions, including a detained Chinese agent and her connection to a former AfD assistant, clearly marking hostile hybrid warfare activity.

Source URL

https://tagesschau.de/inland/innenpolitik/generalbundesanwalt-spionageverdacht-100.html

Open source

Provenance

Publisher: extension
Submitted: Apr 28, 2026, 14:51 UTC
Last updated: Nov 4, 2026, 08:35 UTC
Event time: Sep 30, 2024, 22:00 UTC

Published as a hybrid-warfare signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.

Raw record

{
  "id": "bde108ab-5101-4344-9e32-1e0ae883aa6c",
  "url": "https://tagesschau.de/inland/innenpolitik/generalbundesanwalt-spionageverdacht-100.html",
  "source": "extension",
  "status": "approved",
  "category": "Intelligence & Espionage",
  "subcategory": "Human Intelligence (HUMINT)",
  "incident_type": "Recruitment of locals",
  "country": "Germany",
  "source_reliability": "A",
  "info_credibility": "3",
  "tags": [
    "espionage",
    "China",
    "Germany",
    "Leipzig",
    "Rheinmetall",
    "AfD",
    "MSS",
    "Federal Prosecutor General"
  ],
  "nodes": [],
  "countries": [
    "Germany"
  ],
  "where_text": "Land",
  "headline": null,
  "description": "On the evening of September 30, 2024, German authorities arrested a 38-year-old Chinese national named Yaqi X. in Leipzig on suspicion of espionage. She worked for a logistics company at Leipzig/Halle airport, where she monitored flight movements and transportation activities. Investigators allege she repeatedly provided information concerning flights, cargo, and passengers, specifically about the transport of armaments and persons linked to Rheinmetall, a German arms manufacturer. These data were reportedly passed from mid-August 2023 to mid-February 2024 to Jian G., a former assistant to AfD MEP Maximilian Krah, who was arrested in April 2024 for espionage on behalf of China. Jian G. also allegedly spied on Chinese dissidents in Germany and passed European Parliament information to Chinese intelligence. Yaqi X. was presented to a judge at the Federal Court of Justice, where pre-trial detention was ordered; she faces up to five years in prison.",
  "summary_short": "In late September 2024, a Chinese national was arrested in Leipzig for allegedly spying on behalf of China, passing logistics and armament transport data from Leipzig/Halle airport to a detained former AfD assistant.",
  "summary_extended": "German federal prosecutors arrested Chinese citizen Yaqi X. in Leipzig on espionage charges. She worked in logistics at Leipzig/Halle airport and is accused of spying for China by collecting and transmitting detailed information on flights, cargo—including military shipments—and passengers associated with German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall. The transmissions occurred between August 2023 and February 2024, channeled to Jian G., who served as assistant to AfD MEP Maximilian Krah and was arrested in April 2024 for spying for the Chinese Ministry of State Security. Jian G. is accused of spying on Chinese dissidents in Germany and supplying sensitive European Parliament information to China. Yaqi X. was placed in pre-trial detention and faces a prison sentence of up to five years. The case highlights ongoing Chinese espionage targeting European political and defense sectors.",
  "actor_primary": "Yaqi X.",
  "target_primary": null,
  "location_text": "Leipzig",
  "location_region": "Saxony",
  "location_coordinates_lat": 51.3396955,
  "location_coordinates_lon": 12.3730747,
  "location_precision": "Approximate",
  "is_aggressor_signal": true,
  "signal_type": "HYBRID_SIGNAL",
  "is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
  "classification_complete": true,
  "hybrid_signal_complete": true,
  "classification_confidence": "High",
  "classification_rationale": "The article details a concrete espionage incident involving Chinese intelligence targeting German defense industry and political institutions, including a detained Chinese agent and her connection to a former AfD assistant, clearly marking hostile hybrid warfare activity.",
  "event_time_utc": "2024-09-30T22:00:00.000Z",
  "end_time_utc": null,
  "event_time_confidence": "pm24h",
  "created_at": "2026-04-28T14:51:00.486Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-04T08:35:32.139Z",
  "reliability_band": "strong",
  "location_precision_band": "approximate",
  "time_precision_band": "within_24h",
  "severity_band": "significant",
  "attribution_confidence_band": "high",
  "attribution_basis": "independent_sources"
}

Public assessmentReliability: StrongSeverity: SignificantAttribution: HighIndependence confirmedTime: Same dayLocation: Approximate

Source reliability

Info credibility

Event time

Sep 30, 2024, 22:00 UTC

Event time confidence

pm24h

Location

Leipzig

Region

Saxony

Primary actor

Yaqi X.

Country

Germany

Countries

Germany

Tags

espionage, China, Germany, Leipzig, Rheinmetall, AfD, MSS, Federal Prosecutor General

Loading signal...

{ "id": "bde108ab-5101-4344-9e32-1e0ae883aa6c", "url": "https://tagesschau.de/inland/innenpolitik/generalbundesanwalt-spionageverdacht-100.html", "source": "extension", "status": "approved", "category": "Intelligence & Espionage", "subcategory": "Human Intelligence (HUMINT)", "incident_type": "Recruitment of locals", "country": "Germany", "source_reliability": "A", "info_credibility": "3", "tags": [ "espionage", "China", "Germany", "Leipzig", "Rheinmetall", "AfD", "MSS", "Federal Prosecutor General" ], "nodes": [], "countries": [ "Germany" ], "where_text": "Land", "headline": null, "description": "On the evening of September 30, 2024, German authorities arrested a 38-year-old Chinese national named Yaqi X. in Leipzig on suspicion of espionage. She worked for a logistics company at Leipzig/Halle airport, where she monitored flight movements and transportation activities. Investigators allege she repeatedly provided information concerning flights, cargo, and passengers, specifically about the transport of armaments and persons linked to Rheinmetall, a German arms manufacturer. These data were reportedly passed from mid-August 2023 to mid-February 2024 to Jian G., a former assistant to AfD MEP Maximilian Krah, who was arrested in April 2024 for espionage on behalf of China. Jian G. also allegedly spied on Chinese dissidents in Germany and passed European Parliament information to Chinese intelligence. Yaqi X. was presented to a judge at the Federal Court of Justice, where pre-trial detention was ordered; she faces up to five years in prison.", "summary_short": "In late September 2024, a Chinese national was arrested in Leipzig for allegedly spying on behalf of China, passing logistics and armament transport data from Leipzig/Halle airport to a detained former AfD assistant.", "summary_extended": "German federal prosecutors arrested Chinese citizen Yaqi X. in Leipzig on espionage charges. She worked in logistics at Leipzig/Halle airport and is accused of spying for China by collecting and transmitting detailed information on flights, cargo—including military shipments—and passengers associated with German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall. The transmissions occurred between August 2023 and February 2024, channeled to Jian G., who served as assistant to AfD MEP Maximilian Krah and was arrested in April 2024 for spying for the Chinese Ministry of State Security. Jian G. is accused of spying on Chinese dissidents in Germany and supplying sensitive European Parliament information to China. Yaqi X. was placed in pre-trial detention and faces a prison sentence of up to five years. The case highlights ongoing Chinese espionage targeting European political and defense sectors.", "actor_primary": "Yaqi X.", "target_primary": null, "location_text": "Leipzig", "location_region": "Saxony", "location_coordinates_lat": 51.3396955, "location_coordinates_lon": 12.3730747, "location_precision": "Approximate", "is_aggressor_signal": true, "signal_type": "HYBRID_SIGNAL", "is_hybrid_war_signal": true, "classification_complete": true, "hybrid_signal_complete": true, "classification_confidence": "High", "classification_rationale": "The article details a concrete espionage incident involving Chinese intelligence targeting German defense industry and political institutions, including a detained Chinese agent and her connection to a former AfD assistant, clearly marking hostile hybrid warfare activity.", "event_time_utc": "2024-09-30T22:00:00.000Z", "end_time_utc": null, "event_time_confidence": "pm24h", "created_at": "2026-04-28T14:51:00.486Z", "updated_at": "2026-11-04T08:35:32.139Z", "reliability_band": "strong", "location_precision_band": "approximate", "time_precision_band": "within_24h", "severity_band": "significant", "attribution_confidence_band": "high", "attribution_basis": "independent_sources" }