A 41-year-old member of the US military was arrested Tuesday near Gloucester, England, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
Authorities carried out searches at two locations in the Gloucestershire area, police said, adding: “The country to which the allegations relate is Russia.”
U.S. authorities, the U.S. military and the FBI were closely involved in the investigation, police said.
The man was in custody at a London police station, authorities said Tuesday evening when the news broke.
What have U.S. and British officials said about the arrest?
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, senior national co-ordinator for counter-terrorism policing, described the arrest as “significant” due to “close collaboration between UK and US authorities”.
“The allegations are serious and our investigation is ongoing,” Evans said.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the case was “of greatest concern” to the United States and its allies.
“While this investigation continues, I want to send a clear message that the FBI has no tolerance for anyone who violates their oath to the United States and whose actions endanger our national security and that of our partners,” Patel said. He also thanked British investigators from various branches and the US military counterintelligence command “for their exceptional work.”
Brigadier General Sean Stinchon, commanding general of the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, also said the case demonstrated the “resolve of the counterintelligence community.”
“The alleged conduct of a high-ranking soldier entrusted with sensitive information reminds us that insider threats are real and persistent,” Stinchon said.
Area heavily frequented by American and British military and intelligence communities
The Gloucestershire region of western England, about a two-hour drive from London, is home to several sensitive military and intelligence sites, as well as outposts of various British and American companies linked to the defense industry.
RAF Fairford, which hit the headlines earlier this year amid a security scare at the sprawling air base used by British and American planes, is not far southeast of Gloucester.
Gloucester’s neighboring town, Cheltenham, is one of the UK’s intelligence centers outside of London. It is home to the headquarters of the country’s signals intelligence agency, GCHQ.
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