Senior U.S. Army soldier arrested in U.K. on suspicion of assisting Russian intelligence

LONDON — A senior U.S. Army soldier was arrested in the U.K. on suspicion of assisting Russian intelligence, British police said Tuesday.

The 41-year-old man was arrested “as part of an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing” near the ⁠city of Gloucester, ​in the west ⁠of England, London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement, adding that he remained in custody at a police station in London.

He was ​arrested ⁠on suspicion of ‌offenses under sections 1 and 3 of the National Security Act, ‌the statement said. They relate to obtaining ‌or disclosing protected information and assisting a foreign intelligence service.

“The country to which the allegations relate is Russia,” the statement added.

Three people familiar with the matter told NBC News that the soldier was based at NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps headquarters at Imjin Barracks on the outskirts of Gloucester.

A senior NATO military official also confirmed the location of the soldier’s assignment.

“We can confirm that the American service member arrested by British police was assigned to NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC),” the official said in a statement.

FBI Director Kash Patel was quoted in the statement as saying that the arrest was “important” and that it “involves…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business