U.S. Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu, father targeted in Chinese spy case

U.S. Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu and her father Arthur Liu — a former political refugee — were among those targeted in a spying operation that the Justice Department alleges was ordered by the Chinese government, the elder Liu said late Wednesday.

Arthur Liu told The Associated Press he had been contacted by the FBI in October and warned about the scheme just as his 16-year-old daughter was preparing for the Winter Olympics that took place in Beijing in February. The father said he did not tell his daughter about the issue so as not to scare her or distract her from the competition.

«We believed Alysa had a very good chance of making the Olympic team and truly were very scared,» Arthur Liu said.

The Justice Department earlier Wednesday announced charges against five men accused of acting on behalf of the Chinese government for a series of brazen and wide-ranging schemes to stalk and harass Chinese dissidents in the United States.

Arthur Liu said he and his daughter were included in the criminal complaint as «Dissident 3» and «family member,» respectively.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said he was «not aware of the specifics» surrounding the allegations but said China is «firmly opposed to the U.S. slandering by making an issue of this out of thin air.»

«China always asks Chinese citizens to abide by the laws and regulations of host countries, and we would never ask our citizens to engage in activities that violate local laws,» Zhao told reporters at a daily briefing Thursday. «The so-called transnational harassment schemes are just trumped up.»

Arthur Liu said he took a stand against China's bullying by allowing his daughter to compete at the Winter Games, where she placed seventh in the women's