Hybrid warfare does not retire more traditional methods, starting with the old and “dear” spies. The British police announced that they had arrested a US soldier stationed in the United Kingdom, accused of alleged espionage activities in favor of Moscow: a completely unprecedented event on the island in living memory.
The soldier was assigned to the command of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC), the NATO rapid reaction corps. Russia denies any involvement.
What do we know about the soldier accused of espionage
The suspect is described as a “senior soldier of the US Army”, he is 41 years old and was stopped in Gloucestershire, a county in the south-west of England. The Fairford RAF base is located here: used by Washington’s fighter-bombers for attacks on Iran in recent months and the target in September of an alleged hostile intrusion attempt attributed to some suspected Iranian origin. In any case, no direct connection has been evoked at the moment between the two events.
The soldier was assigned to the command of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC), the NATO rapid reaction corps. Based in Imjin Barracks, it can be deployed at short notice to Europe or globally, under direct orders from the Supreme Allied Commander on the continent. The base is also a few kilometers from the headquarters of the GCHQ, the British national cyber intelligence and defense agency.
He is now in a detention facility in London for questioning, in coordination with the investigative and military bodies of the US ally, while two addresses were searched in Gloucester as part of the ongoing investigation.
Russia’s position
“The arrest of a US soldier by British law enforcement has nothing to do with Russia,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “This arrest does not concern us in any way. We do not know what it is connected to. We have nothing to do with it and it does not concern us at all,” Peskov added, quoted by Interfax.
“Zero Tolerance”
Vicki Evans, national coordinator of Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism department, spoke of “serious” charges but without going into detail. “We will work together with allies to take strong action against those we suspect of any criminal activity that undermines our national security,” he added.
The director of the FBI, Kash Patel, also intervened: “I want to send a clear message: the FBI will have no tolerance towards those who violate their oath of loyalty to the United States and with their actions endanger national security and that of our partners.”