Three arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia
The Metropolitan Police have arrested three people on suspicion of espionage on behalf of Russia. A 41-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman were detained at an address in Grays, Essex, while a 46-year-old man was arrested at a separate location in the same area.
All three were arrested on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service, contrary to section 3 of the National Security Act (NSA) 2023, and taken to a police station in London. The Met confirmed that the allegations relate to Russia.
Officers carried out searches at both Essex addresses, and the suspects have since been released on police bail with conditions.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said the force had seen a growing number of people in the UK being targeted for recruitment by overseas intelligence agencies.
He stressed that these latest arrests were not linked to the case of two British men who are currently serving prison sentences for carrying out an arson attack on a Ukrainian-linked business after being recruited by the Russian mercenary group Wagner.
Wagner, a private military organisation operating on behalf of the Russian state, was officially designated a terrorist group by the UK government in September 2023.
