A senior soldier in the U.S. Army has been arrested in the U.K. on suspicion of spying for Russia, London's Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday evening.
The unnamed 41-year-old man was arrested near Gloucester, a city in western England, on Tuesday as part of an investigation by the U.K.'s Counter Terrorism Policing. British police worked with U.S. authorities, including the military and the FBI, in their investigations.
A senior NATO military official confirmed on Tuesday that the American service member was assigned to the military alliance's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC).
ARRC, headquartered in the English county of Gloucestershire, is a 3-star NATO headquarters with more than 400 permanent staff from more than 20 nations ready to deploy land forces where they are needed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that Moscow had "absolutely nothing to do with" the case in the U.K.
The individual at the center of the case, detained in London, is suspected of committing offenses under Sections 1 and 3 of the U.K.'s National Security Act.
Section 1 offenses relate to obtaining or disclosing protected information, while Section 3 involves assisting a foreign intelligence service.
The maximum penalty is life imprisonment for a Section 1 offense and 14 years' imprisonment for a Section 3 offense. A fine may also be imposed for either offense.
Police officers are carrying out searches at two locations in Gloucestershire, the Metropolitan Police added.
U.S. mediates Russia-Ukraine talks
The arrest comes as Washington is seeking to broker an end to Russia's war in Ukraine. U.S.-mediated talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials began in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, the first such meeting since February, while Kyiv and its European allies continue to press for credible security guarantees as part of any settlement.
President Donald Trump, a longstanding critic of NATO and its members' defense budgets, said on Monday that there appeared to be a growing willingness on both sides to end the almost five-year war.
Russia has long threatened retaliatory action against an expansion of NATO's eastern flank and has previously demanded guarantees that Ukraine will never be allowed to join the alliance. Finland and Sweden became NATO's newest members in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Since Russia and Ukraine have been at war, Russian activity has also been reported deeper into European and NATO territory, with regional authorities investigating whether Moscow could be involved in some of the recent disarray seen across the continent.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement on Tuesday evening that the allegations against a U.S. serviceman were "of the utmost concern to the United States and our allies."
"I want to send a clear message – 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," he said.
The alleged conduct of a senior solider, entrusted with sensitive information, is a sobering reminder that insider threats are real and persistent.Sean StinchonCommanding general of U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command
Sean Stinchon, the commanding general of U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, said in a statement that "the alleged conduct of a senior solider, entrusted with sensitive information, is a sobering reminder that insider threats are real and persistent."
Authorities said Tuesday that the investigation is not related to any other ongoing Counter Terrorism Policing investigations.
On Oct. 27, British prosecutors said they had charged a man with assisting a foreign intelligence service over an incident at a military base used by the U.S. for strikes on Iran. The base in question, RAF Fairford, is in Gloucestershire, around 30 miles from ARRC's headquarters at Imjin Barracks.
