Far-Right spy plots plague German politics

Party ties to authoritarian regimes ‘betray countries interests’, warns Bundestag intelligence chief

GERMANY is grappling with spying plots sparked by the far-Right AfD party’s ties with authoritarian regimes on an “almost daily” basis, the head of the Bundestag’s intelligence committee has warned. Speaking to The Telegraph,

Konstantin von Notz claimed that Alternative Für Deutschland, the far-Right populist party, “can always be found where the world’s despots are looking for compliant helpers to betray German interests and harm our democracy.”

The stark warning came as Germany reels from a series of shocking espionage plots, including one involving a research assistant to an AfD MEP who is accused of passing state secrets to China.

Mr von Notz said: “We are currently discussing new forms of influence and destabilization attempts by authoritarian states against our country almost every day. It is becoming increasingly clear: [AfD co-leaders] Alice Weidel, Tino Chrupalla and company are far closer to the autocratic regimes of the world – whether they be Russia, China or North Korea – than to the democracies in Germany and Europe.”

Mr Notz, the chairman of the Bundestag’s powerful PKGr committee, which scrutinises the German intelligence services, also predicted that further spying plots involving AfD staffers “are likely to follow.” He expressed regret that Germans in key sectors vulnerable to espionage attempts have been too lax about the dangers they face - and acknowledged that Britain is having similar issues, as reflected in its own recent arrests of Russian and Chinese spying suspects.

“Unfortunately, many people in politics, business and science still lack the necessary awareness of the dangers posed by China and other authoritarian states, for our democracy, the economy and the freedom of science,” he said.

It has emerged in recent weeks that a top AfD member accepted 20,000 euros (£17,000) in cash from a Russian propaganda network and that parts of the AfD’s internal affairs manifesto was allegedly drafted by Russian officials.

In a separate case in April, not involving the AfD, two German-Russians were arrested for allegedly plotting to blow up US military sites in Bavaria. In March, Berlin was left red-faced after Russia leaked a sensitive phone call between German air force officers discussing details of a potential delivery of long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

The arrest last week of Jian Guo, a parliamentary researcher for AfD MEP Maximilian Krah, shocked Germany, with its interior minister calling the case an “extremely serious...attack from within on European democracy.”

Mr Guo is suspected of passing sensitive information about the European parliament to China’s Ministry of State Security, or MSS, and of spying on Chinese opposition figures. Mr Krah has said he was unaware that his assistant was an alleged spy.

The AfD has said the case is “very disturbing” and vehemently denied a report in Der Spiegel that alleged that one of the party’s manifestos was drawn up by Russian officials.