UK counter-terrorism police arrest US soldier on suspicion of assisting Russian intelligence

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The BBC reported that the soldier was based at Imjin barracks in Innsworth, Gloucestershire, the HQ of Nato’s allied rapid reaction corps. Photograph: Sgt Paul Shaw/UK Ministry of Defence 2019 theguardian.com

The soldier was based at Imjin Barracks in Gloucestershire (stock picture) (Getty) Getty

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans of Counter Terrorism Policing said the “significant arrest and investigation is a result of close collaboration between UK and US authorities” (PA) independent.co.uk

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British counter-terrorism police arrested a 41-year-old serving US Army soldier near Gloucester on Tuesday on suspicion of offences under sections one and three of the National Security Act 2023 — obtaining or disclosing protected information and assisting a foreign intelligence service, with the country named as Russia. The man, who has not been named, remains in custody at a London police station while officers search two locations in Gloucestershire.

The soldier was based at Imjin Barracks in Innsworth, which serves as the headquarters of Nato's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps — the alliance's standing high-readiness land command. The US Army's counterintelligence command described the allegations as involving a 'senior soldier' and Brig Gen Sean Stinchon, the command's commanding general, called the case 'a sobering reminder that insider threats are real and persistent'. The arrest was made by British police, not by the Pentagon: counter-terrorism policing London said the investigation was conducted with US authorities, the US military and the FBI, and Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, the senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, said the activity demonstrates the strength of UK and US law enforcement and national security partnerships.

The initiative coming from London rather than Washington matters for what it says about vetting on the American side. A soldier with access to a Nato rapid-reaction headquarters was apparently flagged and detained by an allied police force working with the FBI, rather than by his own chain of command. FBI director Kash Patel said the arrest 'involves allegations of espionage, which is of the utmost concern to the United States and our allies', and used the announcement to disclose that the FBI has made 167 counterintelligence and espionage arrests over the past 21 months — a 53 per cent increase. He thanked UK Counter Terrorism Policing, MI5, UK Defence Counter Intelligence and the US Army Counterintelligence Command by name.

For an alliance that has spent three years focused on Russian capabilities abroad, the case is a reminder that the exposure runs through its own personnel: rank, clearance and base access are the currency, and the first line of defence proved to be a police force outside the country that issued the clearances. The investigation is not linked to any other ongoing counter-terrorism policing investigation, and the alleged conduct remains under investigation.

The searches continue at two Gloucestershire locations while the soldier waits in a London cell.