Two Chinese men have been arrested in France on suspicion of espionage after they used a quiet village in the south-west of the country to carry out their plan, the BBC reports.
Residents of a village about 15 kilometres from Bordeaux became suspicious when a Chinese men renting home from the Airbnb rental platform installed a large satellite dish in their garden. The dish was pointed skyward, and locals noticed that its presence disrupted internet service.
Intelligence experts believe that southwest France is becoming increasingly attractive to China and other countries looking to spy, given the region’s proximity to defence, space and telecommunications facilities.
France’s Directorate General for Internal Security (DGSI) raided the house and seized a large amount of computer equipment. The men, aged 27 and 29, were questioned at the DGSI headquarters in France and
both are accused of passing information to foreign forces, thereby harming French interests.
Both are in custody.
Prosecutors said the two arrived in France in January on work visas issued so that the men could work as engineers at a wireless communications company. Two Chinese men living in France are also charged with aiding and abetting the spies.
According to the prosecutors, the suspects sought to intercept data from Starlink satellites, as well as data from key organizations, including the military, for transmission to China.
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