Briton Charged With Aiding Russian Military Intelligence
Briton Charged With Aiding Russian Military Intelligence
The News
Joshua Cammidge, a 31-year-old British man from Swindon, has been charged with assisting Russian intelligence services after alleged contact with a representative of the GRU Volunteer Corps, a group the Metropolitan Police says is controlled by Russia's military intelligence agency.
He faces two counts under the National Security Act 2023: assisting a foreign intelligence service, contrary to section 3, and preparatory conduct, contrary to section 18.
The case was built by Counter Terrorism Policing London. Cammidge is due before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday, September 10.
The Charges
Reuters reported that prosecutors allege Cammidge assisted a foreign intelligence service and was preparing an act of sabotage after contact with a group linked to Russian military intelligence.
Police and prosecutors have not said publicly what act, if any, he is alleged to have been preparing.
Timeline
Counter Terrorism Policing London officers, supported by Wiltshire Police, arrest Cammidge at an address in Swindon. He is taken to a London police station and officers search a second address in Swindon.
Cammidge is further arrested and detained under the National Security Act on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service.
After what the Metropolitan Police called additional enquiries, he is charged with offences under sections 3 and 18 of the National Security Act 2023.
He is scheduled to make his first appearance at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
Reactions
The Metropolitan Police said the offences relate to alleged contact with a representative of the GRU Volunteer Corps, which the force described as a group controlled by Russia's military intelligence agency.
The Crown Prosecution Service said Cammidge allegedly received instructions from an individual believed to be linked to that group.
Cammidge has not yet appeared in court and no response from him or a lawyer has been reported. Russia's embassy in London did not respond to a request for comment, according to wire reports.
What's Next
Thursday's hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court is the first step; National Security Act cases of this kind are sent on to a higher court, where any plea and trial date would be set.
Police have not said whether anyone else is under investigation, and the allegations remain unproven.
More
The National Security Act 2023 is Britain's rewritten espionage and sabotage law, replacing older Official Secrets Act provisions. Section 3 covers assisting a foreign intelligence service; section 18 covers conduct preparatory to offences under the act.
British authorities have escalated warnings about alleged Russian hostile state activity since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and UK-Russia relations have deteriorated sharply over that period.
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