U.S. Army Officer Arrested in England on Suspicion of Spying for Russia

British counterterrorism police arrested a 41-year-old United States Army soldier in England on Tuesday on suspicion of espionage related to Russia, London’s Metropolitan Police said. The man, whose name has not been released, remains in custody at a London police station.

Police said the soldier was arrested near Gloucester, in western England, on suspicion of offenses under Sections 1 and 3 of the National Security Act 2023. Section 1 covers obtaining or disclosing protected information, and Section 3 covers assisting a foreign intelligence service. “The country to which the allegations relate is Russia,” police said in a statement. Officers are searching two locations in Gloucestershire.

Assigned to a NATO rapid reaction corps

A senior NATO official told CNN that the soldier was assigned to the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, a British-led NATO corps based at Imjin Barracks in Gloucester. A U.S. official said the soldier is a field grade officer, a category that covers the ranks of major, lieutenant colonel and colonel.

Brig. Gen. Sean Stinchon, commanding general of U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, said the soldier was “entrusted with sensitive information.” FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrest “involves allegations of espionage.” Police said the arrest was made by British counterterrorism officers working with U.S. authorities, the U.S. military and the FBI. No charge has been announced.

Russia denies any connection

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that Russia has “no connection to this whatsoever.” Police said the case is not linked to any other ongoing counterterrorism investigation. The arrest follows other recent counterterrorism cases tied to U.S. military sites in Britain, including charges brought this week in a separate case tied to RAF Fairford.

Reporting based on coverage by CNN and the Metropolitan Police.