A 41-year-old member of the U.S. Army was arrested near Gloucester, England, on Tuesday, Nov. 10, on suspicion of spying offenses connected to Russia, British counterterrorism police said in a statement. The FBI and U.S. Army counterintelligence worked the case with British investigators.
Police have not released the soldier's name or rank. He has not been charged and is presumed innocent. He was being held at a London police station Tuesday while officers searched two addresses in Gloucestershire.
What he is suspected of
Police said the arrest was made under Sections 1 and 3 of Britain's National Security Act 2023.
Section 1 makes it a crime to obtain, copy, keep or pass on "protected information" for a purpose that harms the safety or interests of the United Kingdom, when the conduct is tied to a foreign power. Protected information means material whose access is restricted, or would reasonably be expected to be restricted, to protect the country. The maximum sentence is life in prison.
Section 3 covers conduct meant, or likely, to materially help a foreign intelligence service with activities related to the United Kingdom. It carries up to 14 years.
The statement names Russia as the country the allegations relate to. It does not say what information may be involved, and no U.S. charges have been announced.
Under the 2023 law's detention rules, a court can let police keep holding him without charge, in extensions of up to seven days at a time, to a maximum of 14 days from the arrest.
What U.S. officials said
"This important arrest involves allegations of espionage," FBI Director Kash Patel said. He said the bureau "has no tolerance for anyone who breaks their oath to the United States" and cited 167 counterintelligence and espionage arrests by the FBI over the past 21 months, which he described as a 53% increase.
Brig. Gen. Sean Stinchon, who commands U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, said "the alleged conduct of a senior soldier, entrusted with sensitive information, is a sobering reminder that insider threats are real and persistent." He urged people who notice suspicious behavior to contact their local counterintelligence office.
British police said this case has no connection to their other open counterterrorism cases. In a separate case, also on Tuesday, federal prosecutors in New York charged three men over a September plot against RAF Fairford, a British air base in Gloucestershire where American military planes and troops were stationed.
