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CRIME

German police arrest suspect in murder of Nottingham gamer

German police in the state of Hesse on Thursday have arrested a man suspected of murdering a 20-year-old student from Nottingham, England in an incident that appears to have been sparked by an online dispute.

German police arrest suspect in murder of Nottingham gamer
Murder victim Matthew Pyke. Photo: Nottinghamshire Police

“With information from the Nottinghamshire police and an intense investigation by the Limburg-Weilburg department, a 21-year-old suspect was arrested under suspicion of murder,” police spokesman Bruno Reuscher told The Local on Thursday, adding that there was an internet connection between the two young men.

“Work between the Limburg-Weilburg station and the Nottinghamshire police is running smoothly and successfully,” he said.

In a hearing before a Limburg judge this afternoon, the suspect was ordered to remain in police custody while awaiting extradition to Britain.

The arrest in Hünfelden near Wiesbaden came following a Nottingham police investigation into the late Matthew Pyke’s online gaming hobby.

Pyke, who would have started courses at Nottingham Trent University in October, was found stabbed to death in his flat by girlfriend Joanna Witton on September 19.

Police have been investigating the couple’s connection to a website, Wars Central, for fans of the computer fantasy game Advance Wars, where the couple acted as co-administrators.

Pyke, known as “Shade” on the site, allegedly had an argument with the German gamer who may have sought revenge, the Nottingham Evening Post reported. The site has since been closed to new registration “to protect the privacy of our users,” a site administrator wrote on Thursday.

CRIME

Aide to German far-right MEP arrested on suspicion of spying for China

An aide to a German far-right politician standing in June's European Union elections has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, German prosecutors said on Tuesday.

Aide to German far-right MEP arrested on suspicion of spying for China

The man, named only as Jian G., stands accused of sharing information about negotiations at European Parliament with a Chinese intelligence service and of spying on Chinese opposition figures in Germany, federal prosecutors said in a statement.

On the website of the European Parliament, Jian Guo is listed as an accredited assistant to MEP Maximilian Krah, the far-right AfD party’s lead candidate in the forthcoming EU-wide elections.

He is a German national who has reportedly worked as an aide to Krah in Brussels since 2019.

The suspect “is an employee of a Chinese secret service”, prosecutors said.

“In January 2024, the accused repeatedly passed on information about negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament to his intelligence service client.

“He also spied on Chinese opposition members in Germany for the intelligence service.”

The suspect was arrested in the eastern German city of Dresden on Monday and his homes were searched, they added.

The accused lives in both Dresden and Brussels, according to broadcasters ARD, RBB and SWR, who broke the news about the arrest.

The AfD said the allegations were “very disturbing”.

“As we have no further information on the case, we must wait for further investigations by federal prosecutors,” party spokesman Michael Pfalzgraf said in a statement.

The case is likely to fuel concern in the West about aggressive Chinese espionage.

It comes after Germany on Monday arrested three German nationals suspected of spying for China by providing access to secret maritime technology.

READ ALSO: Germany arrests three suspected of spying for China

China’s embassy in Berlin “firmly” rejected the allegations, according to Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua.

According to German media, the two cases are not connected.

In Britain on Monday, two men were charged with handing over “articles, notes, documents or information” to China between 2021 and last year.

Police named the men as Christopher Berry, 32, and Christoper Cash, 29, who previously worked at the UK parliament as a researcher.

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