A 41-year-old US Army soldier was arrested near Gloucester, England, on suspicion of spying for Russia, UK and US authorities said Tuesday. The suspect, who has not been identified, is being held in London custody.
According to CBS News US, the suspect is suspected of violating Sections 1 and 3 of the UK’s National Security Act 2023. Those sections cover obtaining or disclosing protected information and assisting a foreign intelligence service. The arrest took place Tuesday near Gloucester, about 100 miles west of London.
London Metropolitan Police said the suspected activity relates to Russia and that searches were carried out at two locations in Gloucestershire, according to CBS News US. Euronews reported that the soldier was detained under national security legislation, taken to a London police station, and remains in custody.
A US official told CBS News that the soldier is a senior officer based at Imjin Barracks, home to the headquarters of NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps. That claim came from an unnamed official and has not been confirmed by police or the Army. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had "nothing to do with" the detention of the US soldier, CBS News US reported.
Euronews reported that the arrest is the latest in a series of UK espionage cases linked to Moscow. In September, a British man appeared in court accused of preparing to sabotage drone manufacturing sites for Russian military intelligence.
CBS News US reported that UK police said the arrest was not related to other Counter Terrorism Policing investigations, including the recent suspected plot at RAF Fairford, which officials have linked to Iran. The arrest came as the US, Russia and Ukraine began new trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, CBS News US reported.
The US Army did not immediately respond to requests for details, Euronews reported, and the Pentagon referred questions to the Army. Sources do not describe what information was allegedly passed or to whom, and the soldier is not named in any source.
Counter Terrorism Policing says its investigation is very much ongoing and the suspect remains in custody. No charges have been reported, and the sources give no court date or charging decision. The allegations are suspicions only.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.