German lawmakers assail far-right party over alleged China, Russia links following spying arrest

BERLIN (AP) — The German government and opposition lawmakers have assailed the far-right Alternative for Germany for its alleged closeness to Russia and China after an assistant to a legislator for the party was arrested on suspicion of spying for Beijing. This week’s arrest of an assistant to European Parliament lawmaker Maximilian Krah cast an unflattering light on the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which has long faced criticism for Russia-friendly positions. Krah has said he will dismiss the employee, Jian Guo, but remain AfD’s top candidate for the European Parliament election in June. Mainstream lawmakers lined up to criticize the AfD in a debate in the German parliament Thursday, while the party portrayed itself as the victim of a campaign.