US Army officer, 41, arrested in UK on Russia spy charges

A US Army soldier has been arrested in the United Kingdom on suspicion of spying for Russia and is under investigation.

British counterterrorism police arrested a 41-year-old male US Army soldier near Gloucester in southwest England on Tuesday (local time), according to multiple foreign media reports including The New York Times, Yonhap said.

The arrest resulted from a joint investigation by the FBI and the US Army Counterintelligence Command in cooperation with British authorities.

The Associated Press, citing US and British government officials and NATO sources, identified the arrested soldier as a US Army officer who had been serving with NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps near Gloucester.

British police said the soldier faces charges under Sections 1 and 3 of the National Security Act, enacted in 2023, which cover offenses including obtaining or disclosing protected national security information and supporting the activities of a foreign intelligence service.

Police confirmed that Russia is the foreign state involved in the case. Vicki Evans, deputy head of the UK's counterterrorism police, said the "allegations are serious and the investigation is ongoing," but declined to disclose details of the alleged espionage activities.

US Army Counterintelligence Commander Sean Stinchon described the arrested soldier as a "senior soldier" and said the allegations serve as "a reminder that the insider threat is real and persistent" when a soldier with access to sensitive information is suspected of such conduct.

Late last month, Austria's Foreign Ministry expelled four Russian diplomats stationed in Vienna on suspicion of espionage.

Austria's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it had taken action against four Russian diplomats based on findings by Austrian security authorities, declaring them persona non grata and ordering them to leave the country, Reuters reported Oct. 23 (local time).

The ministry cited "activities incompatible with diplomatic status" as the grounds for the expulsion — a phrase that typically refers to espionage.

Three of the four expelled diplomats were attached to the Russian Embassy in Austria, while the fourth was a member of Russia's delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the international body responsible for military security and arms control.

The move brought the total number of Russian diplomats expelled from Austria since 2020 to 18. Austria had also expelled three Russian diplomats in May after determining that multiple antennas installed at the Russian mission in Vienna could be used for espionage.