French law enforcement agencies have arrested four people, including two Chinese nationals, on suspicion of spying for the People’s Republic of China. This was reported by the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The arrests took place on 31 January in the Gironde department (south-western France). According to the investigation, two Chinese citizens entered the country with the aim of intercepting Starlink satellite data and obtaining information from vital facilities, primarily military ones. To do this, they rented accommodation through Airbnb and allegedly planned to use special equipment to collect and transmit data to China.
Two other people were detained along with the two Chinese citizens while attempting to deliver the equipment to the rented accommodation. They are suspected of illegally importing espionage equipment.
On 4 February, the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office opened a judicial investigation under the cybercrime article. Two suspects have been remanded in custody, while the others are under investigation. The case has been transferred to the jurisdiction of the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office’s cybercrime unit and the French internal security services.
The suspects are charged, in particular, with illegally disclosing sensitive information to a foreign state, damaging national interests, and stealing data from automated information processing systems as part of an organised group.
Beijing has not yet officially commented on the incident. The investigation is ongoing.