The Navy of USA has intercepted a case of espionage directed from China among its ranks.
According to the agency Reuterstwo Navy sailors have been arrested on charges of delivering material that affects national security to the Beijing secret services.
The detainees are the petty officer Wenheng Zhao, 26, who is charged with conspiracy and bribery. Zhao reportedly received $15,000 for photos and videos containing sensitive military information. Both face a sentence of 20 years in prison.
The other detainee, whose age has not been revealed, is the sailor jinchaoweiaccused of sending national defense information to China in exchange for payment of thousands of dollars.
According to the federal prosecutor in charge of the prosecution, Randy Grossmann“When a soldier or sailor accepts cash to sell to his country and delivers national defense information in an act of treason, we have to be ready to act.”
The Chinese embassy in USAHowever, he has denied that he had infiltrated the United States Navy.
“China strongly opposes the slander and unfounded lies against China by the United States,” he told the Wall Street Journal embassy spokesperson liu pengyu.
At this time the investigation is advancing and trying to find out if both sailors were in contact with the same Chinese agent or if there are ramifications in the case of espionage.
Both sailors were arrested last Wednesday in California. jinchaowei He was arrested when he was going to his job at the San Diego Naval Base.
Wei had security clearance and access to confidential information from the amphibious assault ship uss essexwhere he worked as a machinist’s assistant.
Wei is a naturalized US citizen, but of Chinese descent. The agent of the chinese secret services he would have come into contact with him when he was in the process of obtaining nationality.
Wei provided the Chinese agent, in addition to the images, technical manuals and ship plans.
He also provided information on the training exercises followed by the United States Marines.
As for the petty officer Wenheng Zhaopoints out the BBC who worked at the Ventura County Naval Base, Los Angeles.
He was recruited in 2021 by a Chinese agent who was supposedly looking for information for future investments.
Zhao, in addition to the images, provided the agent with diagrams and plans of a radar system of the Okinawa American basein Japan.
