Poland arrests Huawei manager, suspected spy

The Internal Security Agency (ABW) in Poland on Tuesday arrested a Chinese telecom manager and a former Polish agent on suspicion of spying for China, Polish state television reported Friday. News reports identified the Chinese man as Weijing W. and said he worked as a Huawei director in Poland and was previously employed at the Chinese Consulate in Gdansk. The second suspect, Piotr D., worked as deputy director with the ABW department of information security until 2011.

Polish authorities searched the men’s homes and the Warsaw offices of Huawei and Orange, the country’s leading telecommunications provider. Maciej Wasik, deputy head of Poland’s special services, confirmed the arrests, saying the men “carried out espionage activities against Poland.” They could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Huawei issued a statement confirming the arrests but insisted the company “complies with all the rules and regulations in the countries where it operates.”

On Dec. 1, Canada arrested Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou on behalf of the United States. She was released on a $7.4 million bond and remains in Vancouver, where she is fighting extradition to the United States.