An engineer in northern Germany was sacked because his marriage to a Chinese woman was considered by his employer a security risk, according to an article on the BBC website on Aug 17, 2011.

The 47-year-old German engineer had been working for a company that provides supplies for the German armed forces since May 2006, said the article.

But after his marriage to the woman in December 2009, the engineer was suspended for what was described as security concerns. In June last year, he was fired out of concern about "possible industrial espionage" due to his new family ties.

The man's dismissal was arbitrary, said the employment tribunal in Kiel in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, as the employer had violated his right to marry whomever he chose.

Under a settlement, said the article, the man was awarded compensation equivalent to seven months' salary.