US soldier arrested in UK on suspicion of spying for Russia, Digi Mart USA News (United Kingdom): A high-ranking U.S. soldier has been arrested in the United Kingdom on suspicion of spying for Russia.
British police said on Tuesday that the suspect is a 41-year-old man.
He faces allegations of breaching the National Security Act, relating to the acquisition or disclosure of protected information and support for a foreign intelligence service. According to BBC information, he was stationed at a barracks that serves as the headquarters of the NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the spying allegations were “of the utmost concern to the United States and its allies.” Brigadier General Sean Stinchon of the U.S. Army Intelligence Service added that the suspected conduct was a sobering reminder that insider threats are real and persistent.
The arrest came one day after the United States withdrew tanker aircraft from a British air base. According to the Wall Street Journal, the aircraft left the Royal Air Force base at Mildenhall on Monday because of a threat linked to Iran.
British police said, however, that the arrest is not connected to other ongoing counterterrorism investigations. It was the second such withdrawal within three months.
In September, the United States had already withdrawn bombers from RAF Fairford for security reasons. Police linked that incident to Iran, which has denied any connection to attacks or incidents in the United Kingdom.
Two men have since been charged in connection with alleged attack plans against the Fairford military base. One of the defendants is accused of supporting a foreign intelligence service.
The other is accused of deliberately entering a restricted security area to harm the interests of the United Kingdom.
About a dozen B-1 bombers of the U.S. armed forces had been stationed at Fairford.
They were withdrawn in early October, reportedly out of fear of an Iranian attack. Digi Mart USA News has published a separate analysis on how secure America’s bases in Europe are.
