London counter-terrorism police said that a 41-year-old man was arrested as part of an investigation by counter-terrorism police, working closely with US authorities, The Guardian reports. US army counterintelligence command said the allegations related to a “senior soldier”.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, November 10, a senior NATO military official said, “We can confirm that the American service member arrested by British police was assigned to NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC).”
NATO is a 32-member alliance and was formed in 1949 to counter the risk of Soviet attack. It now focuses on protecting allied countries by promising that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all..
It is understood that the soldier was based at Imjin barracks in Innsworth, Gloucestershire. It is these barracks that serve as the headquarters of NATO’s allied rapid reaction corps.
He was arrested in Gloucester on Tuesday on suspicion of offences under section one and section three of the National Security Act. He remains in custody at a London police station.
The FBI director, Kash Patel, said in a statement that the arrest “involves allegations of espionage, which is of the utmost concern to the United States and our allies”.
He said: “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.
“This includes 167 counterintelligence and espionage arrests from this FBI over the last 21 months – a 53% increase.
“This matter shows that partnerships are essential to protect our countries and I want to express my thanks to UK Counter Terrorism Policing, MI5, UK Defence Counter Intelligence and the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command for their outstanding work.”
