A US Army soldier has been arrested near Gloucester in an investigation into alleged national security offences connected to Russia, police have said.
The 41-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday 10 November on suspicion of offences under sections 1 and 3 of the National Security Act 2023. Counter Terrorism Policing said it was working closely with US authorities, the US military and the FBI.
Officers were searching two locations in Gloucestershire as part of the investigation. In their statement on 10 November, police said the man remained in custody at a London police station. They identified Russia as the country to which the allegations relate.
The police statement did not name the man or announce a charge. An arrest on suspicion is not a finding of guilt, and the investigation was continuing when the statement was issued.
Joint investigation
The inquiry is being led by Counter Terrorism Policing London. Police said it was not linked to any other ongoing Counter Terrorism Policing investigation.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, the senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, described the arrest as the result of close collaboration between UK and US authorities. She said: “The allegations are serious and our investigation is very much ongoing.”
FBI director Kash Patel said the case involved “allegations of espionage”. Brigadier General Sean Stinchon, the commanding general of US Army Counterintelligence Command, referred to the alleged conduct of a senior soldier entrusted with sensitive information.
Those statements did not specify what information, if any, was involved or describe the actions being investigated in detail. The authorities’ description of the allegations does not establish that an offence was committed.
The Gloucestershire base
The soldier is understood to have been based at Imjin Barracks in Innsworth, Gloucestershire. The site is home to the headquarters of NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, a multinational military headquarters led by the UK.
The British Army says the headquarters can operate in several roles, including as a corps headquarters, a land force component command or a joint task force headquarters. It moved to Imjin Barracks from Germany.
The police statement did not identify the soldier’s particular role at the base or say that the headquarters itself was the subject of the searches. It did not give the addresses of the two locations being searched.
What the law covers
Section 1 of the National Security Act concerns obtaining or disclosing protected information. Its provisions cover conduct such as obtaining, copying or retaining information, or providing access to it, when the conditions set out in the law are met.
Protected information includes material to which access is restricted, or could reasonably be expected to be restricted, for the purpose of protecting the UK’s safety or interests. The offence also has conditions concerning the purpose of the conduct and its relationship to a foreign power or designated body.
Section 3 concerns assisting a foreign intelligence service. It covers conduct intended to materially assist such a service with UK-related activities. It also covers conduct likely to provide that assistance where the person knows, or ought reasonably to know, that this is likely.
These are descriptions of the legislation, not findings about the arrested man. Police have not set out publicly in their statement precisely what conduct they suspect under each section.
Detention and oversight
Under the Act’s foreign-power threat detention regime, police may initially hold a person without charge for up to 48 hours. Further detention requires judicial authorisation; under the ordinary rules, extensions may allow detention for up to 14 days from arrest.
For a further detention warrant, the judicial authority must be satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to believe continued detention is necessary for specified purposes and that the investigation is being conducted diligently and expeditiously. The existence of those powers does not mean any particular period of detention has been authorised in this case.
