Senior US Army Soldier Assigned to NATO Rapid Reaction Corps HQ Arrested in UK on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
A 41-year-old member of the U.S. Army was arrested near Gloucester in western England on Tuesday, November 10, on suspicion of offences under Sections 1 and 3 of Britain's National Security Act 2023, London's Metropolitan Police said. The allegations relate to Russia. The soldier was assigned to the headquarters of NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, and U.S. officials described him as a senior soldier entrusted with sensitive information.
The Metropolitan Police said the arrest was carried out by Counter Terrorism Policing working closely with U.S. authorities, the U.S. military and the FBI. Officers are searching two locations in Gloucestershire. The man is being held at a London police station, and the investigation is led by Counter Terrorism Policing London. Police said the case is not linked to any other ongoing counter-terrorism investigations. Under the National Security Act, such a suspect can be held for up to 14 days without charge.
Police did not release the man's name. A Section 1 offence concerns obtaining or disclosing protected information, and a Section 3 offence concerns assisting a foreign intelligence service. A senior NATO official told CNN the soldier was assigned to the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, the British-led NATO corps headquartered at Imjin Barracks in Innsworth, near Gloucester. A U.S. official said he is a field-grade officer, a rank band covering majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrest involves allegations of espionage, which he called a matter of the utmost concern to the United States and its allies. Brigadier General Sean Stinchon, commanding general of 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.
Police have not said what information the soldier is alleged to have passed, or how long the investigation has been running. No charges have been announced.
Source: Metropolitan Police
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：伦敦警察厅总部新苏格兰场的旋转标志（资料图）。照片：Colin McLaughlin 摄，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The rotating sign of New Scotland Yard, headquarters of London's Metropolitan Police (file photo). Photo by Colin McLaughlin, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
