LONDON (AP) — Three men suspected of spying for China were arrested Wednesday, London police said.
The three allegedly assisted a foreign intelligence service in violation of the National Security Act of 2023, Metropolitan Police said.
Police did not name the suspects because they haven’t been charged. They said one was a 39-year arrested in London, another was a 68-year-old arrested in Powys, Wales and the third, a 43-year-old, was arrested in Pontyclun, Wales.
They are the latest in a number of arrests in the U.K. of people accused of spying or causing political interference on behalf of China. The domestic intelligence agency MI5 issued an alert to lawmakers in November warning that Chinese agents were making “targeted and widespread” efforts to recruit and cultivate them using LinkedIn or cover companies.
Beijing has strongly denied those claims, calling them a fabrication and malicious slander.
British officials complained to their Chinese counterparts about the latest arrests, Security Minister Dan Jarvis said.
“The Government has been consistent and unambiguous in our assessment that China presents a series of threats to the United Kingdom,” Jarvis said. “We remain deeply concerned by an increasing pattern of covert activity from Chinese state-linked actors targeting U.K. democracy.”
Police do not believe there was an imminent or direct threat to the public related to the arrests, Cmdr. Helen Flanagan, head of counter terrorism policing in London, said.
“We have seen a significant increase in our casework relating to national security in recent years, and we continue to work extremely closely with our partners to help keep the country safe and take action to disrupt malign activity where we suspect it,” Flanagan said.
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