US Army Soldier Arrested in UK on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
A 41-year-old senior U.S. Army soldier has been arrested near Gloucester, England, on suspicion of spying for Russia, in a probe led by UK counter-terrorism police with US authorities.
A senior U.S. Army soldier has been arrested in England on suspicion of spying for Russia, London's Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday evening. The 41-year-old man was detained near Gloucester on Tuesday as part of an investigation led by Counter Terrorism Policing, which worked closely with US authorities, including the military and the FBI. The army keyword in this case concerns a serving American service member assigned to a NATO headquarters in the UK.
Links to NATO headquarters
A senior NATO military official confirmed that the American was assigned to the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC). The corps is a NATO headquarters based at Imjin Barracks in Innsworth, Gloucestershire, with more than 400 permanent staff from more than 20 nations. It is ready to deploy land forces where they are needed.
The suspect is believed to be the first US soldier found to be under suspicion of spying for a foreign government while in the UK, according to Al Jazeera. Police are carrying out searches at two locations in Gloucestershire.
Charges under the National Security Act
The man is suspected of offences under Sections 1 and 3 of the National Security Act 2023. Section 1 relates to obtaining or disclosing protected information. Section 3 relates to assisting a foreign intelligence service.
The maximum penalty is life imprisonment for a Section 1 offence and 14 years for a Section 3 offence, with a fine also possible for either. Under the Act, police can hold a suspect without charge for 14 days, according to the Metropolitan Police. British police generally do not name suspects before charge, and the man has not been named.
Reactions from Washington and Moscow
FBI Director Kash Patel said the allegations were "of the utmost concern to the United States and our allies." He said the FBI had made 167 counterintelligence and espionage arrests over the last 21 months, a 53 percent increase on the comparable previous period.
Brigadier General Sean Stinchon, commanding general of U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, said insider threats "are real and persistent." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Moscow had "absolutely nothing to do with" the case in the UK.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said the investigation was "very much ongoing." Police said it is not linked to any other ongoing counter-terrorism investigation.
Wider context and what next
The arrest comes as Washington works to broker an end to Russia's war in Ukraine. US-mediated talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials began in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, the first such meeting since February. Separately, British prosecutors said on October 27 they had charged a man with assisting a foreign intelligence service over an incident at RAF Fairford, a base used by the US for strikes on Iran.
What we know so far: a senior US soldier has been arrested and the searches are continuing. The investigation is ongoing, and no charges against the soldier have been announced.
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