British military man accused of preparing to transfer secrets to Russia

A serving Royal Navy man has been accused of using high-level security clearance to gather secrets that he intended to pass on to Russian authorities. Bloomberg reports this.

Teddy Young, 24, was arrested at his home in Bedfordshire on Wednesday. Prosecutors said he "gained access to classified" defense and intelligence materials and "engaged in activities consistent with preparation for the transfer of protected information to a foreign power."

Young, who worked for the Royal Navy's intelligence unit, did not apply for bail and only confirmed his identity at a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court. "The charges against you are too serious to be tried in this court," Judge Annabelle Pilling said. Young will appear in court at the Old Bailey on October 16.

He is accused of collecting confidential information and preparing it for transfer to Russia between November 2024 and May 2025. It is also alleged that he used the dark web to try to contact Russian authorities, composed a message to "establish contact with a potential threat actor" and violated military regulations by sending information to a personal email address. Police said the charges were not related to the investigation into a suspected terrorist attack on RAF Fairford.

Earlier, the British Foreign Intelligence Service MI6 began an internal investigation after the arrest of the former head of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) August Hanning. MI6 fears its agents and sensitive data have been compromised.

German security sources are alleged to have reported that some of the classified information the ex-BND chief worked with came from foreign intelligence partners. This suggests that British and American intelligence services were also compromised, the publication notes.

It is reported that following Hanning's arrest, MI6 in the UK, as well as a number of US departments, launched a systematic internal review of all sensitive information shared with European allies during the relevant period.