MI5 Alerts UK Lawmakers to Chinese Spies on LinkedIn

Britain's domestic intelligence agency, MI5, issued an urgent espionage alert on Tuesday to lawmakers, parliamentary staff, and university leaders, warning of systematic attempts by Chinese state actors to infiltrate sensitive UK institutions through spies posing as professional headhunters on platforms like LinkedIn.

The alert, circulated by House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and House of Lords Speaker Lord McFall, highlighted the activities of China's Ministry of State Security, which is targeting individuals with access to political, economic, and classified information. Hoyle described the efforts as relentless, aimed at collecting intelligence and building long-term relationships via networking sites, recruitment agents, and consultants. MI5 identified two specific individuals, Amanda Qiu of BRYR Executive Search and Shirly Shen of Internship Union, as using LinkedIn profiles to conduct outreach on behalf of Chinese intelligence at scale. The agency noted that such operations prioritize parliamentarians, economists, think tank staff, and government affiliates for their networks and proximity to sensitive data.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis addressed the House of...