A researcher in his 20s with links to MPs in the British Parliament with classified or highly sensitive information was reportedly detained on March 13 on suspicion of spying for China.
According to The Sunday Times, a male parliamentary staffer with links to senior Conservative Party MPs with confidential or highly sensitive information was accused of spying on behalf of China.
In addition to the suspect detained in Edinburgh, Scotland, a second suspect in his 30s was arrested in Oxfordshire.
In a statement made by the London Metropolitan Police, it was stated that two residences in Edinburgh and Oxfordshire were searched, as well as a third address in the east of the capital London.
The two suspects were taken to the police station in south London and released on bail until they are brought to court in early October.
The statement noted that the investigation conducted by the counter-terrorism unit, which oversees espionage-related crimes, continues.
The newspaper reported that the researcher accused of espionage is an Englishman who served in the British Parliament and worked with lawmakers on international politics as well as relations with Beijing for many years.
There are fears that the suspect, who previously worked in China, may have been recruited as a spy and sent back to the UK to infiltrate political networks critical of the Beijing regime.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who met with Chinese Premier Li Chiang on the margins of the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi, India, raised the issue of espionage during the meeting.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office Number 10 said in a statement that Sunak "expressed very strong concerns about China's interference in British parliamentary democracy and said it was 'totally unacceptable'."
UK's spying response to China
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