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A Greek air force officer arrested on suspicion of spying for China has been detained pending trial after appearing before a military judge in a case that is seen as exposing Beijing’s determination to infiltrate Europe’s security and intelligence services.
Surrounded by armed escorts, a squadron leader identified as Col Christos Flessas emerged late on Tuesday from the court after giving testimony for over eight hours.
The 54-year-old faces a life sentence if found guilty of charges that include “transmitting top secret information of a military nature” to China. He was described as having access to sensitive military information, including armed forces technologies under development, and is believed to have been recruited by Beijing last year.
Greek media reports said he had admitted to photographing and transmitting classified Nato documents using specialised encryption software provided by Chinese intelligence. He allegedly received tradecraft training in China during an undeclared trip to the country that military sources claimed had ultimately also exposed him.
In a statement made by his lawyer following the court appearance, Flessas said: “Unknowingly and without intent, I became involved in something that developed in a way that became nightmarish, dangerous and illegal. In my testimony I did not try to justify myself or, in reality, even defend myself [...] I ask to be punished with a fair punishment.”
Greek authorities were reportedly tipped off by the CIA about the extent of the leak and in a highly unusual statement after Flessas’s arrest on 5 February, the Greek general staff said there was “clear evidence of criminal offences under the military penal code”.
Chinese operatives are thought to have initially approached their target online before recruiting him at a Nato conference in an unidentified European country. Flessas has been cited saying he was lured with promises of financial rewards made in foreign currencies and digital payments of between €5,000 and €15,000 for every transmission made. He told the military magistrate on Tuesday that contact with agents that would lead to his handler was first made via LinkedIn.
Nicholas Eftimiades, a retired US senior intelligence officer with considerable expertise in Chinese espionage operations, described the case was “a wake-up call” to the Greek government and military.
“[It’s] significant because it shows China’s desire and ability to penetrate the military communications infrastructure of Greece and other Nato members,” he said. “Nations spy against other militaries to give them an advantage in war. Despite all the proclamations of friendship and economic engagement, China continues to evolve as a threat to democracies worldwide.”
Flessas had previously served as a Nato evaluator in information systems and at the time of his arrest was commanding a battalion in the Athenian suburb of Kavouri training in telecommunications.
Eftimiades, whose book Chinese Espionage Operations and Tactics was released last year, said because citizens in China were “required by law” to support their country’s espionage efforts, the west was increasingly vulnerable to Beijing’s spymasters.
Last week, four people, including two Chinese nationals, were arrested in France on suspicion of intercepting and collecting military intelligence. In September, a former aide to a member of parliament for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party was sentenced to almost five years in prison for spying on behalf of China.
“China uses a ‘whole of society’ approach to conduct worldwide espionage,” said Eftimiades who now teaches homeland security at Penn State University. “[It] is unlike the efforts of any western government. The sheer volume of activity makes it impossible to counter … western societies are open democracies. This makes them extremely vulnerable to China’s covert influence efforts.”
Media reports on Tuesday suggested the Hellenic air force officer was cooperating fully with authorities. But well-placed insiders said there were fears of other military officials being implicated. One said the armed forces were airing the case so publicly as a warning.
“What we are seeing is unprecedented,” said Plamen Tonchev, an expert in Sino-Greek affairs. “Greece is seen as a relatively China-friendly country. This is the very first time that China is so openly implicated in an espionage case of this kind.”
Tonchev, an expert on Sino-Greek relations, said the episode was bound “to tarnish the image” of Beijing in a country where it had acquired control of much of the port of Piraeus a decade ago.
An estimated 24% of imports to Europe from China are shipped through Piraeus’ container terminals and, said Tonchev, this was a source of “great pride” for Beijing.
