A senior member of the US Army has been arrested in Britain on suspicion of espionage relating to Russia, in a rare case of a serving American soldier being detained on British soil.
British counter-terrorism police said the 41-year-old man was arrested near Gloucester on Tuesday, 10 November, as part of an investigation carried out with US authorities, the US military and the FBI. He remains in custody at a London police station.
He was arrested on suspicion of offences under Section 1 and Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023, which cover obtaining or disclosing protected information and assisting a foreign intelligence service. Police confirmed that the country to which the allegations relate is Russia. Searches are being carried out at two locations in Gloucestershire.
The soldier has not been named and has not been charged. Under the National Security Act, suspects can be held for up to 14 days without charge.
A senior NATO official told CNN the soldier was assigned to the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, the British-led NATO corps headquartered at Imjin Barracks near Gloucester. Brigadier General Sean Stinchon, commanding general of the US Army Counterintelligence Command, described him as a senior soldier “entrusted with sensitive information”.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the case was an “important arrest” involving “allegations of espionage, which is of the utmost concern to the United States and our allies”.
Counter Terrorism Policing said the investigation was not linked to any other ongoing counter-terrorism investigation. The arrest comes amid heightened concern in Britain about Russian espionage and sabotage, and days after the United States moved aircraft from bases in Britain over fears of a possible Iranian attack.
The allegations against the soldier are unproven, and no details of what information he is alleged to have passed on have been made public.
Sources: Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-police-say-member-us-army-arrested-under-national-security-act-2026-11-10/), Associated Press, CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2026/11/10/uk/us-army-soldier-arrested-uk-alleged-espionage-russia) and the Metropolitan Police (https://news.met.police.uk/news/member-of-us-army-arrested-as-part-of-counter-terrorism-policing-investigation-514875).
