Suspect linked to China first charged under foreign power offence in Czechia

Czech police on Saturday detained a person suspected of working for a Chinese intelligence service, marking the first prosecution under a new offence of unauthorised activity for a foreign power, police said. The domestic intelligence service Security Information Service (BIS) said the suspect was detained in the early hours of January 18 and subsequently charged, following an operation carried out in “close and highly professional cooperation” between BIS and the police. The offence, introduced into the Criminal Code last February, carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, or up to 15 years in wartime. The case comes amid repeated warnings by Czech security services about Chinese espionage and influence activities in Czechia.