‘Infiltrate the Enemy’s Inner Circle’: Court Documents Show Alleged Spy Operation Directed by the CCP

Messages between the alleged spies and a Chinese Communist Party official to infiltrate a banned spiritual movement have been revealed.

Police arrest a woman in her 30s in the ACT. Courtesy of AFP

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.