A senior soldier in the US Army has been arrested in Gloucestershire on suspicion of spying for Russia, British counter-terrorism police said Tuesday, in a case that touches one of NATO's key operational headquarters in Europe.
The 41-year-old was arrested near Gloucester under sections one and three of the National Security Act 2023 — provisions covering the obtaining or disclosing of protected information and assisting a foreign intelligence service. Counter Terrorism Policing London said officers are carrying out searches at two locations in the county and described the case as unconnected to any other ongoing investigation.
The BBC reported that the soldier was based at Imjin Barracks in Innsworth, which serves as the headquarters of NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) — a multinational force that can be deployed on short notice to reinforce the alliance's eastern flank. He remains in custody at a London police station, where the National Security Act allows him to be held without charge for up to 14 days while the investigation continues.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans of Counter Terrorism Policing London called the arrest "significant," adding that "the allegations are serious and our investigation is very much ongoing." FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that the case "is of the utmost concern to the United States and our allies," warning that "this FBI has no tolerance for anyone who breaks their oath to the United States and whose actions endanger our national security and that of our partners."
Brig. Gen. Sean Stinchon, commanding general of US Army Counterintelligence Command, said the allegations against "a senior soldier, entrusted with sensitive information, is a sobering reminder that insider threats are real and persistent," and urged anyone with suspicions about similar conduct to report it to their local counterintelligence office.
The arrest adds to a string of recent cases in which US service members have been accused of offering sensitive military information to Russia in exchange for money or citizenship, and comes as Western intelligence agencies warn that Moscow has stepped up recruitment efforts targeting NATO personnel since the invasion of Ukraine. No further details about the soldier's identity, rank or specific role at Imjin Barracks have been released, and he has not yet been charged.
