Three people have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia.
The arrests have taken place in Essex as part of a counter terrorism policing investigation into suspected National Security Act offences.
A 41-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman were arrested at an address in Grays, Essex.
A 46-year-old man was arrested at a separate address, also in the Grays area of Essex.
All three were arrested on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service, contrary to section 3 of the National Security Act (NSA), 2023 and they were taken to a police station in London.
The country to which the allegations relate is Russia, the Met Police have said.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the counter terrorism command, said: ‘Through our recent national security casework, we’re seeing an increasing number of who we would describe as ‘proxies’ being recruited by foreign intelligence services.
‘Indeed, two young British men are awaiting sentencing after they were recruited by the Wagner Group – effectively the Russian state – to carry out an arson at Ukrainian-linked warehouse.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed the three suspects were arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia
‘They are facing potentially lengthy custodial sentences, although, to be clear, today’s arrests are in no way connected to that investigation.
‘But anyone who might be contacted by and tempted into carrying out criminal activity on behalf of a foreign state here in the UK should think again.
‘This kind of activity will be investigated and anyone found to be involved can expect to be prosecuted and there are potentially very serious consequences for those who are convicted.’
The arrests mark the latest case involving allegations that people based in Britain have been recruited to spy for Russia, with alleged targets including dissidents critical of the Kremlin.
In July Dylan Earl and Jake Reeves became the first people convicted under the new National Security Act 2023, designed to tackle threats that fall short of traditional spying and espionage, and can involve third party actors not working directly for a foreign hostile state.
Earl, 21, and Reeves, 23, were recruited by the Russian mercenary organisation, the Wagner Group, after torching a warehouse housing humanitarian aid and satellite equipment belonging to Elon Musk’s Starlink company destined for Ukraine.
The attack, in Leyton, east London, resulted in damage and repairs costing around £1m and was livestreamed over Facetime to the men’s British recruiter who was reporting back to the Russians. He set the video to music as he shared it with his friends.
A court previously heard how Earl was the ‘architect’ of the plot. He was a builder and part-time drug dealer who lived with his parents in a large detached house in the Leicestershire countryside.
Earl and Reeves previously admitted aggravated arson and an offence under the National Security Act. Earl boasted he could build a ‘link’ between the Wagner Group, IRA and the Irish Kinahan crime cartel.
Earl joined a Telegram ‘broadcast channel’ called Grey Zone which was established in 2022 as a mouthpiece for Wagner Group, the court heard.
It had 500,000 members and published regular posts inviting people in European countries to join Russia’s fight in Ukraine.
On March 2 last year Earl told a Telegram contact called ‘Minsk KGB’, who was in Russia: ‘I been wanting to come Russia. I need a fresh start bro.
‘Do I need to be able to speak Russian though because that’s not the best? Litch [literally] know 30 words if that.’
Earl received his instructions and recruited others, including Reeves, the step-son of a police officer who failed most of his GCSEs and was working as an aircraft cleaner at Gatwick.
The arsonists were promised thousands of pounds, but forgot to film the warehouse burning down and were never paid for the attack.
Earl was scolded by the Russians for not telling them he was going ahead with the plan.
The pair are due to be sentenced at a later date.
And in another unrelated case, six members of a honeytrap spy ring based in Great Yarmouth were handed combined jail terms of more than 50 years for handing intelligence to Russia.
The agents passed secrets to Russian intelligence for almost three years, spying on a US airbase in Germany and tailing opponents of Vladimir Putin – some of whom they plotted to kidnap, murder or snare in ‘honeytraps’.
They ran one of the ‘largest and most complex’ enemy operations uncovered on UK soil, carrying out espionage on an ‘industrial scale’.
