FBI arrests two alleged Chinese agents and charges dozens with working inside US to silence dissidents

Originally Published: 17 APR 23 13:12 ET

Updated: 17 APR 23 13:30 ET

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez and Lauren del Valle, CNN

    (CNN) -- The FBI has arrested two alleged Chinese agents and federal prosecutors have charged dozens of others with working to silence and harass dissidents within the United States -- with some even operating an "undeclared police station" in New York City.

Two individuals associated with an illegal police operation in Chinatown were arrested Monday and are expected to appear in federal court in New York on Monday, according to John Marzulli, a spokesman for the US Attorney in the Eastern District of New York.

The defendants allegedly operated an "undeclared police station" in Manhattan. It has been shut down since a search warrant was executed at the location last fall, the spokesman said.

The Justice Department announced charges against 34 officers of the national police of the People's Republic of China with harassing Chinese nationals in the US critical of the Chinese government.

All 34 of the defendants are believed to live in China and remain at large, according to Justice Department. The officers were part of an effort by the Chinese government called the "912 Special Project Working Group" to influence global perceptions of the People's Republic of China, or PRC.

The agents allegedly used social media to post favorably about the PRC and to attack their "perceived adversaries," including the United States and Chinese pro-democracy activists around the world, the Justice Department said.

The agents were allegedly directed by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, or MPS, to create and maintain accounts that looked like they were run by American citizens. Topics of their propaganda machine include US foreign policy, human rights issues in Hong Kong, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Covid-19 and racial justice protests following the murder of George Floyd, according to prosecutors.

Agents also posted videos and articles targeting Chinese pro-democracy advocates in the US, the Justice Department alleged, some of which included explicit death threats. In addition, the agents allegedly used threats to intimidate people into skipping pro-democracy protests within the United States.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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