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Texts From China's Alleged 'Spy Thriller' Ring Revealed
Three Chinese nationals face reckless foreign interference charges for spying on Australian Buddhist group Guan Yin Citta, with police citing extensive use of social media and luxury goods found.
9 Articles
9 Articles
‘Infiltrate the Enemy’s Inner Circle’: Court Documents Show Alleged Spy Operation Directed by the CCP
An alleged plot by Chinese citizens to infiltrate a religious network in Australia had a “bit of a spy thriller feel to it,” according to court documents. Three people have been charged in the Australian Capital Territory with reckless foreign interference, with police alleging the three Chinese nationals were tasked by Beijing to infiltrate a Canberra-based Buddhist association, the Guan Yin Citta, which is banned in China. A 37-year-old Chines…
On February 19, 2026, an Australian court, acting in the public interest, released a series of key communications records belonging to defendants accused of being Chinese spies. At the heart of the case are three Chinese nationals, two women and one man, accused of secretly collecting and monitoring information on members of the Canberra-based Buddhist organization Guan Yin Citta under the direction of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security (PS…
Alleged Chinese spy ring's operations against organisation 'classified as a cult' revealed in court documents
Siru Zheng (centre) is the only one out of her two co-defendants, a man (left) and the first woman arrested (right), who can legally be named. Photos: AFP/Albert McKnight. One of the alleged spies accused of tasking others to covertly collect information on a group of Australian Buddhists warned an operative that the religious movement was a “cult” that was “being investigated”. Three Chinese nationals, 31-year-old Siru Zheng, and two who legall…
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