Germany faces ‘almost daily’ spy plots sparked by far-Right ties with rogue states

Germany is facing “almost daily” spying plots sparked by the far-Right AfD party’s ties with authoritarian regimes, the head of the Bundestag’s intelligence committee has warned.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Konstantin von Notz claimed that Alternative for Germany, 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 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 destabilisation 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 chair 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 also 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

And 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. He added in a statement issued shortly after the arrest: “Spying for a foreign state is a serious accusation. If the allegations prove true, it will result in the immediate termination of Mr. Guo’s employment with me.”

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

According to Der Spiegel, the Kremlin wrote the manifesto, which the magazine says it has seen, for the AfD. The report also alleged that “central content of the manifesto can be found in speeches by key AfD officials”, including top member Bjorn Hocke.

However, the AfD strongly denies this, dismissing Der Spiegel’s report as a “Rauberpistol” [literally robber’s gun, or cock and bull story].”

The AfD, which is surging in the Germans polls and remains at second place nationwide, has repeatedly complained that it is being targeted by mainstream parties who are concerned by its popularity.

The Right-wing, anti-immigration movement is particularly popular in eastern Germany, the territory of the Communist DDR after the Second World War.