FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced on Thursday that the bureau has dismantled a major Chinese espionage operation inside the United States, including agents who were actively working to recruit American service members into betraying their country.
In a statement posted to X, Bongino said the FBI executed eight search warrants and made two arrests in San Francisco, Houston, Portland, and San Diego as part of the operation. He described the spy ring as “sophisticated” and directly tied to the Chinese government.
“This is your FBI, and you deserve to know about the work we’re doing every day to keep our country and citizens safe,” Bongino said.
The takedown follows a series of cases earlier this year in which U.S. Army soldiers were caught passing sensitive information to the People’s Republic of China in what Bongino called “treason-adjacent espionage.”
According to the FBI, the foreign agents were attempting to steal U.S. defense secrets and advanced technologies, including missile and drone capabilities, while also conducting surveillance and intimidation campaigns on U.S. soil.
