U.S. Olympic Figure Skater Alysa Liu, Father Targeted in Chinese Spying Operation

Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu and her father, Arthur Liu, were targeted in a Chinese spying operation. 

Arthur Liu told the Associated Press on Wednesday that he was contacted by the FBI in October about a scheme that the United States Justice Department said was ordered by the Chinese government. 

In a separate report from Eric Tucker of the Associated Press, the Justice Department announced five men have been charged "with brazen and wide-ranging schemes to stalk and harass Chinese dissidents in the United States" stemming from "increasingly aggressive efforts" by the Chinese government to "seek out, silence and threaten pro-democracy activists abroad."

According to Tucker, the criminal cases filed in federal court allege longstanding efforts by China's government to "dig up dirt on dissidents, intimidate them and stifle their speech."

Liu said he and Alysa were included in the criminal complaint as "Dissident 3" and "family member." He emigrated from China to the United States in 1989 after protesting the Tiananmen Square massacre and later graduated from Cal State East Bay. 

Arthur told the AP he received a call in November from a man who claimed to be an official with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and asked for his and Alysa's passport numbers. 

"I didn't feel good about it. I felt something fishy was going on," Arthur Liu said. "From my dealings with the U.S. Figure Skating association, they would never call me on the phone to get copies of our passports. I really cut it short once I realized what he was asking for."

Arthur explained he didn't tell Alysa what was happening at the time because he didn't want to distract her as she was attempting to make the U.S. Olympic team. 

"We believed Alysa had a very good chance of making the Olympic team and truly were very scared," he said. 

Later, Arthur said he agreed to let Alysa compete after receiving assurances from the State Department and United States Olympic Committee that his daughter would be closely protected in Beijing. 

Alysa, 16, was the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic figure skating team at the 2022 Games. She placed seventh overall in the women's singles competition.