Has Germany’s far-right AfD become a gateway for Chinese and Russian spies?

Sébastian SEIBT

26 April 2024 at 1:12 am·1-min read

The arrest this week of an aide to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)'s lead candidate for the European parliamentary elections on accusations of spying for China is yet another blow to a party already tarnished by scandals involving alleged payments from sources close to Moscow.

Jian Guo, a German citizen of Chinese origin, was arrested in Dresden on Monday, 23 April, accused of spying for China.

Guo was a parliamentary assistant for Maximilian Krah, a member of the EU parliament and the AfD’s lead candidate for the upcoming European parliamentary elections on June 9.

Both Krah and Petr Bystron, number two on the AfD list for the June election, are facing investigations over foreign interference. The FBI last year questioned Krah during his trip to the US over alleged payments from sources close to the Kremlin. Bystron was accused of participating – knowingly or unknowingly – in a vast Russian disinformation operation.

Calls for Krah and Bustron to resign have multiplied in Germany.

CNN
Opinion: The latest example of Trump’s seeming obsession with Nazism
As is so often the case with Trump, he tarnishes the object of his scorn with the failings that he himself could reasonably be accused of, Dean Obeidallah writes.
HuffPost
Lara Trump Slammed Over 'Immensely Stupid' Election Lawsuit Claim
The former president's daughter-in-law wants to disenfranchise some Americans who vote by mail.
HuffPost
Ex-Prosecutor Spots 'Breathtaking' Trial Admission That Could Haunt Donald Trump
"It actually undercuts one of the defense assertions that they’re trying to use to wiggle out of Trump’s criminal responsibility for this," said Glenn Kirschner.
Sky News
Single-sex toilets mandatory in new bars, restaurants and offices under proposed laws
Single-sex toilets are set to become a legal requirement for all new bars, restaurants, offices and shopping centres under new laws proposed by the government. Self-contained toilets for both sexes may be provided in addition to single-sex toilets, or if there isn't enough space. Care homes, hotels, schools, cells in custodial facilities, and buildings used for early years provision are all exempt from the proposed legislation.
HuffPost
Jen Psaki Recalls Shock At Hope Hicks' 'Major Question' For Her After Trump 2016 Win
Hicks had “one major question” and her response to then-Obama aide Psaki’s comment was in hindsight -- amid Trump's trial -- “interesting," said the now-MSNBC anchor.
HuffPost
'Gestapo Administration': Trump Likens Biden White House To Nazis In Wild Attack
The former president went after prosecutors before making his comparison to the secret police force of Nazi Germany at a private RNC donor event.
The Hill
RNC lawyer Charlie Spies resigns just 2 months after taking the job
Republican National Committee (RNC) head counsel Charlie Spies is leaving the role after just two months on the job, the RNC confirmed Sunday. Spies was “pushed out,” NBC News reported, citing a source familiar with the situation. “Charlie approached RNC Chief of Staff, Chris Lacivita, about potential time commitment conflicts and it was agreed that,…
Yahoo Finance AU
Former RBA governor's bleak interest rate rise prediction
Philip Lowe warned the fight against inflation 'isn't done' yet.
BBC
North Korean weapons are killing Ukrainians. The implications are far bigger
A missile that crashed in Kharkiv shows the surprising scale at which Pyongyang's weapons are used.
Reuters
Russia will have to increase its missile arsenal to deter the West, diplomat says
Russia will have to increase its entire missile arsenal to deter the West as Moscow is now in an open confrontation with the United States and its allies, a Russian diplomat was quoted as saying on Monday. President Vladimir Putin's 2022 invasion of Ukraine touched off the worst breakdown in relations between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, according to Russian and U.S. diplomats. Russia has ramped up weapons production and is now forecast by the United States to manufacture this year more artillery than all of NATO's 32 members combined.
HuffPost
Donald Trump Echoes Mitt Romney's Comment About People Automatically Voting Democrat
In 2012, then-Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said that 47% of Americans automatically vote Democrat because "these are people who pay no income tax."
HuffPost
Trump Supporters Struggle To Explain Their Own Conspiracy Theories In Prankster Video
Some attendees at a recent rally for the former president had a hard time when pressed on some of their beliefs.
Insider Monkey
20 Countries with the Highest Annual GDP Growth in the World
In this article, we will look at 20 countries with the highest annual GDP growth in the world. If you wish to skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to 5 Countries with the Highest Annual GDP Growth in the World. The Global Economy: An Overview The global economy is experiencing a recovery after […]
CNN
House GOP embroiled in escalating primary feuds with majority on the line
GOP Rep. Don Bacon has had it with the far-right of his conference.
Reuters
Russia blames Baltic countries for the severing of most ties
The "hostile line" of the Baltic countries have led to the severance of most of their ties with Russia, the Russian foreign ministry said in remarks published on Sunday, warning also that Moscow will respond with asymmetric measures. "Because of the openly hostile line of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn, all interstate, interdepartmental, regional and sectoral ties with Russia have been severed," Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman of the Russian foreign ministry told the RIA state news agency, referring to the capitals of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. She added that Moscow will continue to use diplomatic measures of influence on the Baltic countries.
BBC
Cubans lured to Russian army by high pay and passports
The number of Cubans recruited to fight in Ukraine is thought to be in the hundreds.
HuffPost
Michael Steele Hits Donald Trump Right Where It Hurts: 'That Is Your Truth'
The former Republican National Committee chair also exposed the "fallacy" of what the presumptive GOP nominee claims ahead of the 2024 election.
Bloomberg
China’s Billions Help Xi Make Useful Friends in Eastern Europe
(Bloomberg) -- It’s 10 a.m. and the high-speed train leaves Belgrade’s new, glass-and-steel station right on time. Thirty-six minutes later it pulls into Serbia’s northern city of Novi Sad, the first completed section of a 350 kilometer-long (217 mile) upgrade going up to Budapest in Hungary.Most Read from BloombergTruce Talks Drag as Hamas Hits Israel Crossing in Deadly AttackBuffett Praises Apple After Trimming It, Drops Paramount StakeFrance’s Macron Calls for Reset of Economic Ties With Chin
BBC
India opposition official held over doctored video
The Congress Party official denies doctoring a video featuring India's interior minister.
BBC
Israel-Gaza war: Three soldiers killed in Kerem Shalom rocket attack
Israel has closed the Kerem Shalom crossing - one of few Gaza aid routes - after the rocket attack.

Latest stories