Three arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia
According to the Metropolitan Police, three people have been arrested on suspicion of espionage on behalf of Russia. According to the police, a 41-year-old man and a 35-year old woman were arrested at an address in Grays, Essex, causing the arrest of A 46-year-old man was arrested at a separate address in the same area. Both three suspects were arrested on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service, in violation of section 3 of the National Security Act (NSA) 2023, and they were arrested in London to a police station. According to the Met, Russia is the country to which the allegations refer to.
Officers carried out searches at the two Essex addresses, and all three suspects have since been released on police bail with conditions, according to the Met. According to Cdr Dominic Murphy, the Met's Counter Terrorism Command's chief, the force had seen an increasing number of people in the United Kingdom being recruited by overseas intelligence agencies. The latest arrests, he said, were not connected to the case of two British men who are currently serving sentences after being recruited by the Russian mercenary company Wagner to perform arson at a Ukrainian-linked firm. The Wagner Company is a private military group that acts on behalf of the Russian state. In September 2023, the UK government designated it as a terrorist group.
