They are the latest in a number of arrests in the UK of people accused of spying or causing political interference on behalf of China
The three were arrested for allegedly assisting a foreign intelligence service in violation of the National Security Act of 2023.
Police did not name the suspects because they have not been charged. But they said one was a 39-year-old arrested in London, another was a 68-year-old arrested in Powys, Wales and the third, a 43-year-old, was arrested in Pontyclun, Wales.
They are the latest in a number of arrests in the UK of people accused of spying or causing political interference on behalf of China. The domestic intelligence agency MI5 issued an alert to lawmakers in November warning that Chinese agents were making “targeted and widespread” efforts to recruit and cultivate them using LinkedIn or cover companies.
Beijing has strongly denied those claims, calling them a fabrication and malicious slander.
Police do not believe there was an imminent or direct threat to the public related to the arrests, Helen Flanagan, head of counterterrorism policing in London, said.
