British authorities have arrested an unidentified member of the United States military in the United Kingdom over suspected espionage for Russia. The 41-year-old was detained on Tuesday near Gloucester in southwest England.
London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement that the man is suspected of breaching two sections of the National Security Act 2023. These cover assisting a foreign intelligence service and obtaining or disclosing protected information.
Police probe and searches in Gloucestershire
Police said their counterterror officers worked closely with the FBI and the US military. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, the UK’s senior national coordinator for counterterrorism policing, described the case as a “significant arrest and investigation”. She said the allegations were “serious” and that the inquiry was “very much ongoing”.
Officers are carrying out searches at two locations in Gloucestershire. The man remains in custody at a London police station, police said.
US officials react to the espionage arrest
FBI Director Kash Patel called the arrest an “important arrest” and said the espionage allegations are of “utmost concern” to the United States and its allies. Patel said the FBI has no tolerance for anyone who breaks their oath to the country.
Sean Stinchon, commanding general of the US Army Counterintelligence Command, said the case showed “the strength of our partnerships” and “the resolve of the counterintelligence community”.
Link to RAF Fairford and earlier Iran-linked plot
Police said the arrest was not related to other counterterror investigations. It was also not connected to a suspected plot linked to Iran in September at RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force base near Gloucester that hosts the US Air Force.
After that threat, the US Air Force withdrew bombers from RAF Fairford that had been used to strike Iran during the Middle East conflict.
