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4mo ago

France Charges Four in Suspected China-Linked Satellite Espionage Case

Investigators are examining seized antennas with computers to determine whether satellite and military data were illicitly captured for transfer to China.

Au cœur de cette enquête, une mystérieuse parabole installée dans le jardin d'une maison, qui aurait servi à des captations satellitaires sensibles. [Philippe TURPIN / Photononstop / Photononstop via AFP]
Quatre personnes ont été interpellées ce week-end, en Gironde, et sont suspectées d’espionnage en faveur de la Chine, a indiqué mercredi 4 février le parquet de Paris.
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Overview

  • Two Chinese nationals were remanded in custody and two other suspects were placed under judicial supervision after indictments in Paris.
  • The DGSI leads a judicial investigation on charges including delivery of information to a foreign power, cyber intrusions, and unlawful radio-frequency use, crimes punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
  • Prosecutors say the alleged mission targeted Starlink downlinks and exchanges from entities of vital importance, notably military, for retransmission to China.
  • The setup was discovered in an Airbnb in Camblanes-et-Meynac with a roughly two‑meter dish, after neighbors reported the installation and internet disruptions; the ANFR detected illegal frequency use and downlink interception capability.
  • Computers and antennas were seized for forensic analysis; the defendants deny espionage, and China’s foreign ministry has protested what it calls defamation of its nationals.