The case, the latest espionage allegation involving suspected Russian agents in Britain and elsewhere in Europe, comes with tensions heightened between Moscow and various European capitals after its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
UK police were questioning Wednesday a US soldier assigned to NATO and suspected of spying for Russia, following his arrest amid a joint investigation with American military and law enforcement.
The case, the latest espionage allegation involving suspected Russian agents in Britain and elsewhere in Europe, comes with tensions heightened between Moscow and various European capitals after its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
It also follows recent security scares at two British air force bases hosting the US military, which officials have accused Iran of being behind.
UK police have said the 41-year-old American soldier was detained near Gloucester, southwest England, on suspicion of violating national security laws and taken to a London police station.
Later Tuesday, a senior NATO military official confirmed that he was assigned to its Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC), the alliance's multinational, high-readiness military headquarters led by the British Army.
Based at Imjin Barracks in the village of Innsworth, the Corps can deploy at short notice anywhere in Europe or globally under the direct operational command of NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
