A senior U.S. Army soldier suspected of spying on behalf of Russia was arrested Nov. 10 in England near a base that houses special NATO land forces, the United Kingdom’s Counter Terrorism Policing office announced.
The 41-year-old male soldier, whose identity was not released, was entrusted with sensitive information, according to a U.S. Army commanding general.
The UK’s counter-terrorism police were working with U.S. authorities, military, and the FBI.
The case showed the strength of the partnerships between the nations’ counterintelligence communities, said Commanding Brig. Gen. Sean Stinchon of the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command.
“The alleged conduct of a senior [soldier], entrusted with sensitive information, is a sobering reminder that insider threats are real and persistent,” Stinchon said. “I encourage anyone who thinks they’ve witnessed something suspicious to report it to their local counterintelligence office.”
The soldier was arrested in Gloucester, a city in southwest England near the Cotswolds and the Welsh border. The area is home to RAF Innsworth, managed by the British Army and serves as the headquarters for the NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.
The corps is led by two British Army divisions and around 1,600 personnel from more than 20 allied nations. A request for information about the arrest sent to the corps was not immediately returned.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the allegations of espionage were “of the utmost concern to the United States and our allies.”
“While this investigation is continuing, 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,” Patel said in a statement.
The soldier was detained under the British National Security Act 2023 and remains in custody at a London police station, according to the Metropolitan Police.
The investigation is being led by officers from the counter terrorism policing unit in London.
“This significant arrest and investigation is a result of close collaboration between U.K. and U.S. authorities. The allegations are serious and our investigation is very much ongoing,” Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, of the Counter Terrorism Policing unit, said.
The Pentagon in Arlington, Va., in a file photo. Carolyn Kaster/AP
The case is not linked to any other ongoing investigation, according to UK officials.
The arrest is the latest in a series of national security-related arrests in England.
On Sept. 27, in connection with a security incident at Fairford airbase, British authorities arrested seven individuals suspected of working for Iran’s ruling Islamic regime.
A few weeks later in October, two Latvian men were also arrested on espionage charges after they allegedly broke into the RAF Molesworth airbase, used by the United States and NATO as an intelligence center.
Director General of MI5 Ken McCallum speaks at Thames House, headquarters of the UK's Security Service in London, on Oct. 13, 2026. Jonathan Brady/PA via AP, Pool
Iran and Russia are ramping up their intelligence activities against the UK, Britain’s M15 Director General Ken McCallum said during his annual threat update in London last month. He said M15 is responding by devoting more resources to countering the threats.
McCallum described Russia as “aggressor No. 1,” accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of lashing out at the UK and its allies, while the Kremlin’s military and intelligence services were escalating their attempts at hybrid warfare.
He attributed it to Russia’s “minimal and horrifically costly” progress in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
UK–Russia tensions have escalated recently as the European country vowed to send more support to Ukraine.
The U.S. brokered a two-day working-level meeting between Russia and Ukraine on Nov. 10 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to address postwar security concerns and territorial issues.
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with U.S. special envoy Jared Kushner, as U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff stands by during a Kremlin meeting in Moscow on Sept. 5, 2026. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via Reuters
U.S. special envoy Jared Kushner, who is leading the delegation with Steve Witkoff, said he was encouraged by the constructive discussions.
“At President [Donald Trump’s] direction, we are working to end this devastating war and establish the security arrangements necessary for a sovereign, secure, and prosperous Ukraine and lasting peace across Europe,” Kushner posted on X.
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