A 41-year-old United States Army soldier was arrested in the United Kingdom on Tuesday on suspicion of espionage related to Russia, according to London’s Metropolitan Police.
The unnamed soldier was arrested by British counterterror police “working closely with US authorities, US Military and the FBI,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. He remains in custody at a London police station.
“The 41-year-old man was arrested near Gloucester on Tuesday, 10 November,” the release said. “He was arrested on suspicion of offenses under Section 1 and Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023.”
Section 1 of the act concerns handling “protected information,” and Section 3 concerns “assisting a foreign intelligence service.”
“As part of the investigation officers are carrying out searches at two locations in Gloucestershire,” police said. “The country to which the allegations relate is Russia.”
A senior NATO official told CNN that the soldier in question “was assigned to the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps,” a British-led NATO corps based in Gloucester.
Brig. Gen. Sean Stinchon, commanding general of US Army Counterintelligence Command, said in the release that the “senior soldier” in question was “entrusted with sensitive information.”
A US official said the soldier is a field grade Army officer, which is a mid- to senior-ranking officer including the ranks of major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel.
FBI Director Kash Patel was quoted in the release stating that the arrest “involves allegations of espionage.”
“While this investigation is continuing, I want to send a clear message – 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,” Patel said.
CNN has reached out to Russia’s embassies in Washington and London for comment.
UK counterterrorism police have recently investigated other cases related to US military presence in Britain – including incidents near bases utilized by the US armed forces.
In September, authorities arrested five men outside RAF Fairford, a base used by the US to launch strikes on Iran.
British prosecutors later charged two UK nationals under the National Security Act in relation to the incident, saying the men were suspected of assisting Iran. Iran has denied any involvement with the incidents. On Tuesday, US authorities accused an Iranian militant group leader of allegedly directing the failed attack on RAF Fairford via coded messages from a New York City jail.
And in October, British counterterrorism police said they were investigating after two Latvian men were arrested inside a Royal Air Force base used by US personnel.
The Metropolitan Police said in their Tuesday press release that the current incident involving the US soldier is “not linked to any other ongoing Counter Terrorism Policing investigations.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Source: www.cnn.com
