US Army soldier arrested in UK on suspicion of being a Russian spy

A US Army soldier has been arrested in Britain on suspicion of spying for Russia.

According to reports from foreign media such as the New York Times (NYT) on the 10th (local time), British counter-terrorism police announced that they arrested a 41-year-old American soldier near Gloucester, southwest England.

This arrest is the result of an investigation conducted jointly by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command with British authorities.

Citing U.S. and British government and NATO officials, the Associated Press reported that the arrested man was a U.S. Army officer who worked at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Joint Rapid Response Corps near Gloucester, England.

British police explained that this man is suspected of violating Articles 1 and 3 of the National Security Act of 2023.

The relevant provisions regulate acts such as acquiring or disclosing information subject to national security protection or supporting the activities of foreign intelligence agencies.

The police stated that the country involved in this case was Russia, but did not disclose specific details of the espionage activity.

Vicky Evans, deputy chief constable of Britain's counter-terrorism police, said: "The allegations are serious and the investigation is ongoing."

Sean Stincheon, commander of U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, referred to the arrested man as a "senior soldier" and said, "The allegations of this behavior by a soldier handling sensitive information are a reminder that the insider threat is real and persistent."

However, British police stated that this alleged Russian spy case was not related to other counter-terrorism investigations, such as the Fairford Air Force Base terrorist plot.