PARIS, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Two Chinese nationals suspected of trying to intercept satellite communications from a base in an Airbnb rental property in southwestern France have been placed under formal investigation, the Paris public prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.
Police were first alerted last week when locals noticed that a roughly two-metre-wide satellite dish being installed at the property in Gironde, which coincided with an internet outage, the office said.
The two Chinese nationals, and two other people, were arrested and brought before an investigating judge on Wednesday and were formally placed under investigation on Thursday, the office said. Two of them have been put in pre-trial detention, while the other two are under judicial supervision, the office added.
COMPUTER SYSTEM, SATELLITE DISHES FOUND
The case is the latest in a series of incidents involving allegations of Chinese spying in Europe.
Tensions between Beijing and Western powers over espionage have risen in recent years as Western intelligence agencies increasingly sound the alarm on alleged Chinese state-backed hacking activity. China has consistently denied the allegations. China has also alleged hacking operations by Western countries.
Responding to the investigation, China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday it opposes “malicious slander and smear” against the country and called on relevant parties to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens.
The public prosecutor’s office said its cybercrime unit started proceedings on Wednesday over suspicions two Chinese nationals had entered French territory to capture and send back data from the Starlink satellite network and from the military and other key entities.
Investigators searched the Gironde property on January 31, and discovered a computer system connected to satellite dishes used to capture satellite data, which was seized for analysis, the office said. The two individuals were taken into custody.
Two other people were arrested when they arrived at the residence, suspected of having illegally imported the material.
The judicial investigation will focus on alleged offences including the unlawful disclosure of sensitive information to foreign entities, potentially harming national interests, and the organised theft of data from an automated processing system.
(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, Sudip Kar-Gupta and Gianluca Lo Nostro in Paris; Additional reporting by Mei Mei Chu in Beijing; Editing by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Matthew Lewis and Andrew Heavens)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.