Suspect says espionage for Chinese authorities ‘would be against everything’ he stands for.
A person reported to be a United Kingdom parliamentary researcher who has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Beijing says he’s “completely innocent” and never a “Chinese spy”.
The man, whose identification has not been launched by UK authorities however is claimed to be in his 20s, denied any involvement in espionage, in an announcement launched on Monday by his attorneys.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak raised his “very strong concerns” about doable Chinese “interference” in democracy with Prime Minister Li Qiang on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in India on Sunday.
Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker of the House of Commons, was as a result of make an announcement on the difficulty at 13:30 GMT.
“I feel forced to respond to the media accusations that I am a ‘Chinese spy’,” the suspect mentioned within the assertion.
“It is wrong that I should be obliged to make any form of public comment on the misreporting that has taken place. However, given what has been reported, it is vital that it is known that I am completely innocent,” he added.
“I have spent my career to date trying to educate others about the challenge and threats presented by the Chinese Communist Party. To do what has been claimed against me in extravagant news reporting would be against everything I stand for.”
Arrested in Edinburgh
Police mentioned over the weekend that they’d arrested a person in his 20s at his house in Edinburgh for spying.
Another man in his 30s was additionally arrested, police mentioned. Both arrests happened in March on suspicion of offences below the Official Secrets Act. The two males have been launched on bail till October.
The Sunday Times newspaper reported the person in his 20s was a researcher within the UK Parliament.
He was employed by Alicia Kearns, a ruling Conservative Party MP who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, the paper mentioned.
The suspect has additionally been linked to Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, who has been crucial of Beijing and is the founding father of the China Research Group, which brings collectively Conservative MPs trying for “fresh thinking” on China.
Various MPs, together with Tugendhat, have been sanctioned by Beijing.
Writing on X, previously generally known as Twitter, Kearns mentioned she was conscious of the allegations and wouldn’t be commenting.
China’s response
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in London, nevertheless, mentioned the reviews had been “malicious slander”.
“The claim that China is suspected of ‘stealing British intelligence’ is completely fabricated and nothing but malicious slander,” the spokesperson mentioned in an announcement printed late on Sunday.
“We firmly oppose it and urge relevant parties in the UK to stop their anti-China political manipulation and stop putting on such self-staged political farce.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/11/completely-innocent-uk-parliamentary-researcher-denies-spying-for-china?traffic_source=rss
