US Soldier Arrested in UK on Suspicion of Espionage for Russia

Authorities in the United Kingdom have arrested a member of the United States military on suspicion of spying for Russia. The 41-year-old individual was taken into custody on Tuesday near Gloucester in southwest England.

The arrest is related to alleged violations of two sections of the National Security Act 2023: assisting a foreign intelligence service and obtaining or disclosing protected information, according to a statement from London’s Metropolitan Police. The police confirmed that their “counterterror” forces collaborated closely with the FBI and US military on the operation.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, the UK’s senior national coordinator for “counterterrorism” policing, described the arrest as “significant” and the allegations as “serious,” emphasizing that the investigation is ongoing. FBI Director Kash Patel echoed these sentiments, calling it an “important arrest” and highlighting that allegations of espionage are of “utmost concern” to the US and its allies. Patel stated, “This FBI has no tolerance for anyone who breaks their oath to the United States and whose actions endanger our national security and that of our partners.”

Sean Stinchon, the commanding general of the US Army Counterintelligence Command, commented that the case “demonstrates the strength of our partnerships and the resolve of the counterintelligence community.”

Officers are currently conducting searches at two locations in Gloucestershire. The arrested soldier remains in custody at a London police station.

Police clarified that this arrest is not connected to other “counterterror” investigations, specifically mentioning it is unrelated to a suspected plot linked to Iran in September at RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force base in Britain that hosts the US Air Force. Following the earlier threat, the US Air Force had withdrawn bombers from RAF Fairford that had been used for strikes in the Middle East.