A member of the US Army has been arrested in the UK as part of an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing, who are working closely with US authorities, US Military and the FBI.

A 41-year-old man was arrested near Gloucester on Tuesday on suspicion of offences under Section 1 and Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023.

Officers are carrying out searches at two locations in Gloucestershire.

In this case, the country to which the allegations relate is Russia.

The investigation is not linked to any other ongoing CTP investigations.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said: “This significant arrest and investigation is a result of close collaboration between UK and US authorities. The allegations are serious and our investigation is very much ongoing. This activity demonstrates the strength of our UK and US law enforcement and national security partnerships, and I commend the work of all the teams involved. We will work together to take robust action against those we suspect of any criminal activity that could undermine our national security."

FBI Director Kash Patel said: “This important arrest involves allegations of espionage, which is 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. This includes 167 counterintelligence and espionage arrests from this FBI over the last 21 months – a 53% increase.”