Senior U.S. Army soldier arrested in U.K. on suspicion of assisting Russian intelligence

U.S. soldier charged with spying for Russia01:35Get more newsonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleNov. 10, 2026, 2:29 PM EST / Updated Nov. 10, 2026, 5:45 PM ESTBy Jean-Nicholas Fievet, Henry Austin, Mosheh Gains and Courtney KubeLONDON — A senior U.S. Army soldier was arrested in the U.K. on suspicion of assisting Russian intelligence, British police said Tuesday.

The 41-year-old man was arrested “as part of an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing” near the ⁠city of Gloucester, ​in the west ⁠of England, London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement, adding that he remained in custody at a police station in London.

He was ​arrested ⁠on suspicion of ‌offenses under sections 1 and 3 of the National Security Act, ‌the statement said. They relate to obtaining ‌or disclosing protected information and assisting a foreign intelligence service.

“The country to which the allegations relate is Russia,” the statement added.

Three people familiar with the matter told NBC News that the soldier was based at NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps headquarters at Imjin Barracks on the outskirts of Gloucester.

A senior NATO military official also confirmed the location of the soldier’s assignment.

“We can confirm that the American service member arrested by British police was assigned to NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC),” the official said in a statement.

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The FBI, he added, “has no tolerance for anyone who breaks their oath to the United States and whose actions endanger our national security and that of our partners.”

Brig. Gen. Sean Stinchon, the commanding general of U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, was quoted in the police statement as saying, “The alleged conduct of a senior soldier, entrusted with sensitive information, is a sobering reminder that insider threats are real and persistent.”said.

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Calling the allegations “very serious,” Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, Britain’s senior national coordinator for counterterrorism policing, said the “investigation is very much ongoing.”

The investigation is not linked to any other ongoing counterterrorism operations, the statement said.

The arrest comes at a time of heightened tensions around the threat from hostile states, with British security services saying Russia and Iran have both used proxies to commit crimes on U.K. soil.

Officials in the U.K. have said proxies linked to Iran have been behind a string of arson fires and other attacks in Britain and other countries, many of them targeting the Jewish community and intended to sow fear.

The U.S. has moved military aircraft from an air base in the U.K. amid threats from Iran.

A U.S. official confirmed to NBC News that several military aircraft had left RAF Mildenhall as the security posture there had increased.

At least eight air refueling tankers and three Osprey tilt-rotor military transports left the base in Suffolk, eastern England, on Monday, flight tracking data showed.

Jean-Nicholas FievetJean-Nicholas Fievet is a senior desk editor for NBC News based in London.

Henry AustinHenry Austin is a senior editor for NBC News Digital based in London.

I am NBC News’ producer & off-air reporter covering stories about and related to the Defense Department around the world.

Courtney KubeCourtney Kube is a correspondent covering national security and the military for the NBC News Investigative Unit.