LONDON — British counterterrorism police have arrested a 41-year-old United States Army soldier in England on suspicion of espionage related to Russia, in a case that has raised fresh questions about the security of American forces stationed in Britain.
The soldier, who has not been named, was arrested near Gloucester on Tuesday by London’s Metropolitan Police, working closely with American authorities, the U.S. military and the FBI. He remains in custody at a London police station.
He was arrested on suspicion of offenses under Section 1 and Section 3 of Britain’s National Security Act 2023. Section 1 concerns obtaining or disclosing protected information, and Section 3 concerns assisting a foreign intelligence service. Police confirmed that the country to which the allegations relate is Russia.
A senior NATO official told CNN that the soldier was assigned to the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, a British-led NATO corps based at Imjin Barracks near Gloucester. A U.S. official said the man is a field grade Army officer, a mid- to senior-ranking officer holding the rank of major, lieutenant colonel or colonel.
Brigadier General Sean Stinchon, commanding general of the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, described the arrested man as a “senior soldier” who was “entrusted with sensitive information.” FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrest “involves allegations of espionage, which is of the utmost concern to the United States and our allies.”
Police searched two locations in Gloucestershire, a county about 90 miles west of London. Under the National Security Act, police can hold a suspect without charge for up to 14 days. No charge has been announced, and the allegations have not been tested in court.
The Metropolitan Police said the case is not linked to any other ongoing counterterrorism investigation. That rules out a connection with the suspected Iranian-linked plot at RAF Fairford, the American-used air base in the same part of England, where U.S. prosecutors this week charged three Iranian-backed operatives over a September attack plan.
The arrest comes at a time of heightened concern over threats to American forces in Britain and of tension between Moscow and much of Europe. British and American officials have warned for months about what they describe as an escalating campaign of cyber and other hybrid attacks across Europe, which they believe originate in Russia. The Gloucester area is also home to GCHQ, Britain’s intelligence and cybersecurity agency.
The Allied Rapid Reaction Corps is a multinational NATO land command designed to respond quickly to crises or short-notice operations, and it draws officers from Britain, the United States and several other allied countries. The arrest of one of its officers on espionage allegations is an unusual breach for an alliance command, and the investigation is continuing.
Source: CNN
