A British businessman, John Miller, who is accused of spying for China and attempting to procure weapons for Beijing, allegedly sought to hire private investigators to gather intelligence on British parliamentarians critical of the Chinese government. Miller, 64, and his handler Cui Guanghai, 44, were arrested in Belgrade in April last year as part of an FBI operation. They were accused of trying to buy American-made missile launchers, radar units, and drones for the People's Liberation Army.
The pair were awaiting extradition to the United States when they fled house arrest and boarded a private jet to Beijing. They face up to 40 years in prison if convicted of US smuggling, stalking, and arms-export charges.
Miller reportedly asked former Scotland Yard detective Keith Hunter's firm, Animus Associates Ltd, to compile dossiers on seven leading parliamentarians. These individuals had been sanctioned by Beijing for their advocacy against the persecution of Uyghur Muslims. The politicians targeted included Tom Tugendhat, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Nusrat Ghani, Neil O'Brien, Tim Loughton, Lord Alton, and Baroness Kennedy.
Messages suggest the work was commissioned on behalf of Fise Technology, a Hong Kong front company owned by Cui, identified as a senior intelligence officer in China's Ministry of State Security. Hunter reportedly inquired about the objectives, asking if the investigation should include politicians' home lives, business dealings, or historical information. Miller indicated a need for information on Tugendhat and Sir Iain "to impress" the client, though he stated it "doesn't have to be dirt."
However, Miller later informed Hunter that another team had already provided Fise Technology with "financials and phone records" on the same politicians, and the client had "closed the case" with Animus. A representative for Animus stated that the firm had a brief relationship with Miller, produced no investigative work for him or his associates, and terminated the relationship when it became apparent Miller sought practices outside lawful open-source methods.
Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith expressed astonishment, stating he had not been informed of the targeting. There is no suggestion that Animus Associates Ltd acted unlawfully or was aware of the company's or Miller's connection to the Chinese state. The firm reportedly produced only brief biographies based on publicly available information as part of a proposal.
Over 9,000 messages between Miller and his associates from 2018 to 2023 were reportedly passed to the newspaper by James DiFiore, a Canadian journalist who worked as an FBI informant. DiFiore claims Miller tasked him with writing anti-American articles for a Chinese audience and producing podcasts that presented the U.S. in a negative light. DiFiore stated he was later recruited by the FBI as a source against Miller and Cui and was instrumental in uncovering their alleged arms procurement attempts.
DiFiore has since expressed dissatisfaction with the FBI, accusing the agency of revealing his identity in an indictment and failing to pay him the promised $150,000. Miller and Cui fled house arrest on August 4 last year, departing Belgrade on a Chinese-owned jet bound for Beijing.