A 41-year-old member of the US Army was arrested near Gloucester, England, on Tuesday 10 November 2026 on suspicion of offences under sections 1 and 3 of the UK's National Security Act 2023. British counter-terrorism police say the country the allegations relate to is Russia. He has not been named and has not been charged. He is being held at a London police station while officers search two addresses in Gloucestershire.[1][2][3]
 | |
| Date of arrest | Tuesday 10 November 2026 |
|---|---|
| Place | Near Gloucester, England |
| Suspect | Member of the US Army, 41, not named |
| Suspected offences | Sections 1 and 3, National Security Act 2023 |
| Country involved | Russia |
| Status | In custody at a London police station, not charged |
| Lead force | Counter Terrorism Policing London |
| US agencies involved | FBI, US Army Counterintelligence Command |
| Searches | Two locations in Gloucestershire |
What happened
The Metropolitan Police announced the arrest at 18:45 GMT on 10 November. Its statement said a member of the US Army had been detained as part of a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation run "working closely with US authorities, US Military and the FBI", and that the allegations relate to Russia.[1] Deutsche Welle and the Associated Press reported the same details: the man is 41, he was arrested near Gloucester, about 90 miles west of London, and searches were carried out at two sites in the county.[2][4]
The US Army has not named him or given his rank. Brigadier General Sean Stinchon, who leads US Army Counterintelligence Command, called him "a senior soldier, entrusted with sensitive information".[1][2] CBS News, quoting a US official, said he is a senior officer based at Imjin Barracks, the Gloucestershire home of the headquarters of NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, and AP's report describes him as a soldier assigned to a NATO unit.[3][5] The Army's Counterintelligence Command declined to give more detail when AP asked.[2]
Police were also clear about what this case is not. The Met said the investigation "is not linked to any other ongoing Counter Terrorism Policing investigations", which rules out a connection with the suspected Iran-linked plot against RAF Fairford, the US bomber base not far from Gloucester.[1][6] We cover that separate case, including the three men charged in New York on 10 November, in our Iran war latest page.
What the officials said
Three statements came out together, one from each side of the investigation.[1]
| Who | Role | Key words |
|---|---|---|
| Vicki Evans | Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing | "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." |
| Kash Patel | FBI Director | "This FBI has no tolerance for anyone who breaks their oath to the United States." He also said the FBI has made 167 counterintelligence and espionage arrests in the last 21 months, a 53% increase. |
| Brig. Gen. Sean Stinchon | Commanding general, US Army Counterintelligence Command | The alleged conduct "is a sobering reminder that insider threats are real and persistent." |
Patel thanked UK Counter Terrorism Policing, MI5, UK Defence Counter Intelligence and Army Counterintelligence Command by name, so British intelligence was involved as well as the police.[1][4] No reaction from Moscow had been reported by the time this page was published.
The two offences, explained
The UK replaced its old Official Secrets Acts with the National Security Act 2023, and this arrest uses two of its headline offences.[7][8]
Section 1, obtaining or disclosing protected information. It covers someone who gets, copies, records, keeps or passes on information that is restricted to protect the UK's safety or interests, for a purpose they know (or ought to know) is harmful to the UK, where there is a link to a foreign power. It applies to conduct in the UK or abroad, and the maximum sentence is life imprisonment.[7]
Section 3, assisting a foreign intelligence service. This is the wider offence. It catches any conduct that a person intends to "materially assist" a foreign spy service with UK-related activities, or conduct they know is likely to do that. The law says help can include giving information, goods, services or money, and prosecutors do not have to name which foreign service was helped. The maximum sentence is 14 years.[8]
One point matters for US readers. These are British offences, tried in British courts. Because the arrest was on UK soil by UK police, the case runs under UK law for now. Any US military or federal case would be a separate decision, and none has been announced.[1][2]
What happens next
The Met said the man "has been detained under the NSA 2023".[1] That matters because the Act has its own custody rules. Under section 27, police can hold a suspect for up to 48 hours from arrest. After that they need a warrant of further detention from a court, granted in blocks of up to seven days, and the total cannot go beyond 14 days from the moment of arrest.[9] For an arrest on 10 November, that puts the outer limit at 24 November.
Before then, one of three things will happen: he is charged, released on bail while inquiries continue, or released with no further action. If prosecutors charge him, a first court hearing would follow quickly. In the Swindon case below, the suspect was charged within days of his arrest and sent to Westminster Magistrates' Court in London.[9][13]
Why Gloucestershire
The county hosts a lot of sensitive sites for its size. Imjin Barracks, the former RAF Innsworth near Gloucester, is the headquarters of NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, which hosts staff from 21 nations.[3][14] Nearby Cheltenham is home to GCHQ, the UK's signals intelligence agency, and RAF Fairford, used by US bombers, is a short drive away.[4]
The arrest also lands during a tense week. US-Russia-Ukraine talks were under way in Abu Dhabi on the same day (see our Ukraine peace talks page), and US aircraft have been moved from two British bases over separate Iran-linked threats.[2][3]
Recent Russia spying cases in the UK
MI5's director general, Ken McCallum, used his annual threat speech on 13 October 2026 to call Russia "aggressor number one" and said MI5 is now putting more resources into countering state threats than it did during the Cold War.[15][3] Several recent cases show what that looks like in court.
| Case | What happened | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Bulgarian spy ring (Orlin Roussev and five others) | Ran surveillance for Russia across Europe, targeting journalists and others | Sentenced at the Old Bailey on 12 May 2025; Roussev got 10 years 8 months[10][11] |
| Howard Phillips, Harlow, Essex | Offered help, including details about former Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, to men he thought were Russian agents; they were undercover British officers | Convicted under section 3, jailed for 7 years in November 2025[12] |
| Joshua Cammidge, 31, Swindon | Arrested 4 September 2026; accused of taking instructions from a suspected representative of a group controlled by Russian military intelligence | Charged under sections 3 and 18; not tried, presumed innocent[13][16] |
None of those cases involved a serving member of the US military, which is part of why this arrest drew front-page coverage on both sides of the Atlantic.[2][3][4]
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 20 Dec 2023 | Section 1 of the National Security Act 2023 comes into force[7] |
| 12 May 2025 | Bulgarian spy ring sentenced in London[10] |
| Nov 2025 | Howard Phillips jailed for 7 years[12] |
| 13 Oct 2026 | MI5 chief calls Russia "aggressor number one"[15] |
| 10 Nov 2026 | US Army member, 41, arrested near Gloucester; Met statement at 18:45 GMT[1] |
| By 24 Nov 2026 | Latest date for a charge or release under the 14-day limit[9] |
Frequently asked questions
Who is the US soldier arrested in the UK?
Police have not named him. They say he is a 41-year-old member of the US Army. The Army calls him "a senior soldier", and CBS reports he is a senior officer at Imjin Barracks near Gloucester.[1][3]
Has he been charged with spying?
No. As of 11 November 2026 he was arrested on suspicion only and remained in custody at a London police station.[1][2]
What is section 3 of the National Security Act?
It makes it a crime to materially assist a foreign intelligence service with activities that affect the UK. It carries up to 14 years in prison.[8]
How long can UK police hold him without charge?
Up to 14 days from arrest under the National Security Act, with court approval needed after the first 48 hours.[9]
Is this linked to the RAF Fairford plot?
No. The Met says the investigation is not linked to any other Counter Terrorism Policing investigation.[1][6]
More world explainers: Iran war latest and Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi.
References
- "Member of US army arrested as part of Counter Terrorism Policing investigation". Metropolitan Police. November 10, 2026.
- "U.S. soldier arrested in Britain accused of espionage linked to Russia". Associated Press, via PBS NewsHour. November 10, 2026.
- "U.S. soldier accused of spying linked to Russia arrested in the U.K.". CBS News. November 10, 2026.
- "US soldier arrested in UK on Russian espionage allegations". DW. November 10, 2026.
- "US Soldier Assigned to NATO Unit Arrested in Britain on Suspicion of Espionage Linked to Russia". Associated Press, via U.S. News. November 10, 2026.
- "US soldier allegedly spied for Russia, arrested in UK by counter-terror police". 13WHAM. November 10, 2026.
- "National Security Act 2023, section 1: Obtaining or disclosing protected information". legislation.gov.uk. Checked November 11, 2026.
- "National Security Act 2023, section 3: Assisting a foreign intelligence service". legislation.gov.uk. Checked November 11, 2026.
- "National Security Act 2023, section 27 and Schedule 6: Detention". legislation.gov.uk. Checked November 11, 2026.
- "Russia's 'outsourced' Bulgarian spy ring sentenced to more than 50 years in UK". The Record. May 12, 2025.
- "6 Bulgarian nationals sentenced in the UK for spying for Russia". Kyiv Independent. May 12, 2025.
- "Fantasist jailed for seven years for attempting to help Russian agents". Irish News (PA). November 2025.
- "UK man charged with assisting Russian military spies in sabotage plot". Al Jazeera. September 9, 2026.
- "NATO's ARRC celebrates 10 years at Gloucestershire base". Forces News. Checked November 11, 2026.
- "Russia remains 'aggressor number one', UK's MI5 spy agency chief warns in threat update". Euronews. October 13, 2026.
- "British man charged over alleged Russian spy contact". UK Defence Journal. September 2026.