A U.S. citizen is in German custody after being accused of attempting to leak classified details about American military maneuvers he learned while working as a civilian contractor to Chinese intelligence.
American civilian contractor arrested in Germany
Martin D., identified by the alias due to German privacy rules, is a 37-year-old ex-civilian contractor who worked with the U.S. military.
He was apprehended by the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) on Thursday morning in Frankfurt.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office, which spearheaded the investigation, sanctioned the arrest following a federal judge’s warrant issued on October 30.
“Due to a pressing suspicion, the accused stands charged with offering himself as an agent to a foreign intelligence service,” the foreign agency said on Thursday.
Martin D. allegedly initiated contact with Chinese authorities earlier this year, expressing willingness to share sensitive information from his tenure with the U.S. military stationed in Germany.
Alleged spy worked as a civilian contractor at an U.S. military base
His former role involved working as a civilian contractor for a private company catering to American forces located in Frankfurt.
Prosecutors asserted that Martin D. reached out to Chinese intelligence agents, with the intent to disclose confidential data regarding the U.S. military’s operations within Germany.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office specified that he was “urgently suspected of having expressed a willingness to conduct intelligence activities for a foreign intelligence service.”
The BKA searched Martin D.’s home during the investigation but have not disclosed whether any materials were confiscated.
Martin D. was slated to appear before a judge at the German Federal Court of Justice on Thursday, where the judge would formally present the arrest warrant and determine his eligibility for pre-trial detention.
He is looking at severe penalties under German espionage and unauthorized intelligence activity laws, which carry significant prison terms.
FBI nabs domestic terrorist
In a separate case, 24-year-old Skyler Philippi was arrested by the FBI after he schemed to attack the power grid.
Philippi allegedly planned to detonate a power station with a drone loaded with bombs, which authorities assert was already turned on and armed when they captured him in a parking lot close to the grid he was targeting.
Federal prosecutors want Philippi held behind bars as he awaits trial at a hearing on November 13, as they believe he is a threat to the community.
Prosecutors labeled Philippi as an “accelerationist,” who is attempting to spur on the collapse of society.
“If you want to do the most damage as an accelerationist, attack high economic, high tax, political zones in every major metropolis,” Philippi told a government informant he was unknowingly texting.
Philippi reportedly talked about executing a mass shooting at a YMCA and derailing a train with antisemitic motives.
He also allegedly studied past assaults on the power grid and concluded that damaging eight or more power stations simultaneously would cripple the nation.
The informant eventually linked Philippi up with two undercover FBI agents who thwarted the plot in the nick of time.
He was found in the back seat of a car with the drone and a live bomb, with an armed informant purportedly acting as a lookout, when the FBI swooped in and arrested him.
“As alleged, the defendant in this case conducted extensive research into explosive devices and potential targets to launch an attack against critical infrastructure,” Joe Carrico, the FBI’s special agent in charge of the Nashville Field Office, stated.
“The FBI is committed to doing everything in our ability to detect, disrupt, and deter attacks by domestic violent extremists, and will continue to pursue those who look to commit acts of violence in furtherance of their ideological beliefs.”
Philippi, who hasn’t submitted a plea, was charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to destroy an energy facility.
