US soldier arrested in UK on suspicion of spying for Russia

British police announced on Tuesday the arrest of a US Army soldier in the UK on suspicion of assisting Russian intelligence services. The arrest comes after the United States withdrew its aircraft from British military bases, apparently in response to a separate threat from Iran.

Kash Patil, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), said the arrest of the 41-year-old man "relates to espionage charges, which are of grave concern to the United States and its allies."

Brigadier General Sean Stinchon, commander of US Army Counterintelligence Command, added, "The conduct attributed to a senior military officer entrusted with sensitive information serves as a serious reminder that insider threats are real and ongoing."

British police said the arrest, which took place on Tuesday near the city of Gloucester in western England, "is not connected to any other investigations being conducted by counterterrorism police." However, it occurred a day after the United States withdrew refueling aircraft from a British airbase, marking the second such evacuation in three months. The aircraft left RAF Mildenhall in eastern England on Monday, which the Wall Street Journal reported was in response to a threat from Iran. In September, the US also withdrew bombers used in strikes against Iran from RAF Fairford for security reasons linked to an incident British police associated with Iran, which has denied any involvement in attacks or incidents in the UK. The US Army soldier arrested on Tuesday is being held on suspicion of offenses under sections one and three of the National Security Act, which relate to obtaining or disclosing protected information and assisting a foreign intelligence service. Police said the country involved in these allegations is Russia.