US Army member arrested near Gloucester on suspicion of spying for Russia

A member of the US Army assigned to a NATO unit was arrested in England on Tuesday, 10 November, on suspicion of espionage related to Russia, counter-terrorism police and other officials said, according to an Associated Press report carried by The Philadelphia Inquirer and Mathrubhumi. This piece is as of the morning of 11 November.

What is known about the arrest

The 41-year-old man was not named. He was arrested near Gloucester on suspicion of violating two sections of the National Security Act 2023: assisting a foreign intelligence service, and obtaining or disclosing protected information (The Philadelphia Inquirer). He was in custody at a London police station, and searches were carried out at two locations in Gloucestershire, the same report says.

The Metropolitan Police said its counter-terrorism officers worked closely with the FBI and the US military, per India Today. FBI Director Kash Patel called it an "important arrest" and said the allegations are of "utmost concern" to the United States and its allies, in a news release quoted by The Philadelphia Inquirer. He also said the FBI has no tolerance for anyone who breaks their oath to the United States.

Who he is said to be

He was serving with NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps at Imjin Barracks near Gloucester, according to a US official, a senior NATO official and a British government official, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity (Mathrubhumi). The US official said he is an officer. US Brig. Gen. Sean Stinchon, commanding general of the Army's Counterintelligence Command, described the suspect as a senior soldier in the release but gave no other details of his identity, the same report says.

According to the unit's website as quoted in the AP report, the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps is a multinational land unit within NATO, made up of forces from 20 nations but led by the British and based in Gloucester (The Times of India).

Links to other cases

Police said the arrest was not related to other counter-terrorism investigations. The AP read that as indicating no connection with the suspected Iran-linked terror plot of September at RAF Fairford, a US-run base near Gloucester (The Philadelphia Inquirer). After that plot, the US Air Force withdrew bombers that had been used to strike Iran from Fairford, and this week it relocated aircraft from RAF Mildenhall because of a threat that The Wall Street Journal reported was related to Iran, the AP says. It describes Tuesday's arrest as appearing separate, since authorities said it was related to Russia.

The AP adds that several European countries have recently warned about Russian covert activity, including sabotage, espionage and drone incursions, and that since Russia's invasion of Ukraine it has tracked more than 210 incidents of sabotage and malign activity in Europe blamed on Russia by Western officials (Mathrubhumi).