Montenegrin citizen arrested in Poland for spying for China

Montenegrin citizen Mersid K., 32, was ordered to be detained for seven days in Poland at the proposal of the prosecution, due to the risk that could affect extradition procedures to Lithuania.

He is suspected of collecting sensitive information for Chinese services in Lithuania over the past three years.

Mersid K. was arrested on February 21 at Warsaw International Airport, after disembarking from a flight from Istanbul.

The arrest was made based on a European arrest warrant issued by Lithuanian authorities, to ensure his presence in the court proceedings being conducted against him for espionage and participation in an organized criminal group, the District Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw announced.

Lithuanian authorities suspect that Mersid K., acting on the instructions of the People's Republic of China, has collected information from the territory of Lithuania that is of interest to Chinese and Taiwanese intelligence services.

According to the Lithuanian Criminal Code, the acts he is suspected of are punishable by imprisonment of six to 15 years, equivalent to Article 130, paragraph 1 of the Polish Criminal Code.

The Polish prosecution stressed that the seven-day detention was imposed to prevent the risk of escape, given that the suspect has no permanent residence in Poland.

The court accepted the request for detention as a preventive measure to ensure extradition procedures under the European Arrest Warrant.

According to Polish media, the suspicions against Mersid K. are related to illegal collection of information for Chinese services in Lithuania since February 2023.

Relations between Lithuania and China have been tense since 2021, following the opening of a Taiwanese representative office in Vilnius, leading to a tougher Lithuanian stance towards Beijing and opposition to the transit of Chinese goods through its territory.

The Geopost