Germany has been concerned about the threat posed by Chinese hackers seeking to steal information from the country’s companies, research facilities and ministries. But if sufficient evidence is found in the current case, it would be one of the first in years involving old-fashioned human espionage. The Chinese intelligence service is also involved in the inquiry, Mr. Schmitt said. The German newsmagazine Der Spiegel, which first reported the raids, said that the three people targeted were suspected of passing private and social information to China’s ministry of state security. She also said it had not received any requests to work with the German authorities or to hand over any evidence.

Source: International New York Times January 16, 2020 18:33 UTC