A senior United States Army soldier assigned to a NATO command in England has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia, in an espionage case British and American officials described as serious and ongoing.
London's Metropolitan Police said the 41-year-old man, who has not been named, was arrested near Gloucester on Tuesday, November 10, by counterterrorism officers working closely with U.S. authorities, the U.S. military and the FBI. He remains in custody at a London police station.
Police said he was arrested on suspicion of offenses under Section 1 and Section 3 of Britain's National Security Act 2023. Section 1 concerns obtaining, retaining or disclosing protected information, and Section 3 concerns assisting a foreign intelligence service. "The country to which the allegations relate is Russia," the police statement said. Officers are searching two locations in Gloucestershire as part of the investigation.
A senior NATO official told CNN the soldier was assigned to the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, the British-led NATO rapid-deployment headquarters based at Imjin Barracks near Gloucester. A U.S. official said he is a field-grade Army officer — a mid- to senior-ranking officer, a category that includes majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels.
Brig. Gen. Sean Stinchon, commanding general of U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, said the "senior soldier" had been "entrusted with sensitive information," calling the alleged conduct "a sobering reminder that insider threats are real and persistent." FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrest "involves allegations of espionage," adding: "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."
Police said the case is not linked to any other ongoing counterterrorism investigations in Britain, and no charge had been announced as the investigation continued. Russia denied any connection: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that Russia has "no connection to this whatsoever," and that Moscow does not know what the case relates to.
The arrest comes while U.S.-mediated Russia-Ukraine talks are under way in Abu Dhabi and amid a series of espionage and sabotage investigations across Europe that officials have linked to Russia — allegations Moscow routinely denies. America Al Youm will follow this developing story as British police and U.S. authorities release more details.
Sources: CNN, November 10-11, 2026; USA TODAY, November 10, 2026; The Wall Street Journal, November 10-11, 2026; The Times, November 11, 2026; London Metropolitan Police statement, November 10, 2026.
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