Police say U.K. and U.S. cooperated closely on spy-case investigation
British counterterrorism police arrested a 41-year-old member of the U.S. Army near Gloucester over allegations of spying for Russia, The Wall Street Journal reported. The arrest occurred on Tuesday in an area home to GCHQ, Britain’s intelligence and cybersecurity agency, and the NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.
The Gloucester area is home to GCHQ and the NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, but the report did not state that the Army member had any connection to either organization. It also did not identify the man, give his Army rank or assignment, or describe the evidence supporting the allegation.
The Metropolitan Police said its officers worked closely with the U.S. military and FBI. The report did not describe the form of that cooperation or the roles the two U.S. organizations played.
“This significant arrest and investigation is a result of close collaboration between U.K. and U.S. authorities. The allegations are serious and our investigation is very much ongoing,” said Vicki Evans, deputy assistant commissioner of the U.K.’s Metropolitan Police.
Evans characterized the arrest and investigation as significant and attributed them to close collaboration between British and U.S. authorities. Her statement and the police account of working with the U.S. military and FBI were the report’s only descriptions of the cross-border cooperation.
The report included no finding on whether the Army member engaged in spying for Russia. Evans said the investigation was very much ongoing, and the allegations against the man had not been resolved in any account described in the report.