UK: U.S. soldier arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia – he served at a NATO headquarters near Gloucester

A 41-year-old American service member is being held at a London police station on suspicion of helping Russian intelligence services. He was arrested on Tuesday, November 10 near Gloucester, in western England, by UK Counter Terrorism Policing, in close cooperation with the FBI and the U.S. Army. The Metropolitan Police announcement says the country to which the suspicions relate is Russia.

The man, whose name was not released, was arrested on suspicion of offences under sections 1 and 3 of the National Security Act 2023. The first concerns obtaining or disclosing protected information and the third assisting a foreign intelligence service. Officers searched two addresses in Gloucestershire, and the investigation has been taken over by the London counter-terrorism unit. Authorities make clear the case is not linked to other open counter-terrorism investigations.

A senior NATO military official, speaking to NBC News, confirmed that the detainee served with the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC). This is a NATO army corps headquarters under British leadership, based at Imjin Barracks in Innsworth, on the outskirts of Gloucester, where officers and non-commissioned officers from many allied countries serve.

What London and Washington say

The head of counter-terrorism policing coordination in Britain, Vicki Evans, called the arrest “significant” and the fruit of close cooperation between British and American authorities. “The allegations are serious and our investigation is continuing as normal,” she noted.

FBI Director Kash Patel spoke of a “significant arrest” involving espionage allegations, a matter of “utmost concern” for the U.S. and its allies. He stressed that his agency shows “zero tolerance” for anyone who breaks their oath, and said the FBI has made 167 arrests in espionage and counterintelligence cases in 21 months, an increase of 53%. He thanked counter-terrorism police, MI5, British military counterintelligence and the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command.

The Army counterintelligence commander, Brigadier General Sean Stinson, described the suspect as a “senior service member” who had been entrusted with sensitive information. The alleged conduct, he added, is a reminder that “insider threats are real and enduring”.

The case comes at a time of heightened concern about the security of American forces in Britain, just one day after the U.S. moved aerial refuelling aircraft away from Mildenhall because of an Iranian threat. Nor is it the first time this year that British justice has dealt with a leak of military information: in October a member of the Royal Navy was charged with obtaining protected information to benefit a foreign power. The suspect is presumed innocent unless and until charged and convicted.