Saturday, March 29, 2025
London, September 18, 2025 – British counter-terrorism police have arrested two men and one woman on suspicion of secretly working for Russia while living in the United Kingdom. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the trio was detained under Section 3 of the National Security Act, which deals with assisting a foreign intelligence service. They were later questioned at a London police station and released on conditional bail.
According to police, a 41-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman were arrested at the same location, while a 46-year-old man was taken into custody from the Grays area in southeast Essex. Authorities believe the suspects were acting as “proxies” for Russian intelligence services.
Dominic Murphy, head of the Counter Terrorism Command, warned that the recruitment of such individuals by foreign agencies is becoming increasingly common. “Foreign intelligence services are seeking to exploit people in the UK, and anyone approached to engage in criminal activity on their behalf should think very carefully about the consequences,” Murphy said.
This latest development follows a series of similar espionage cases in Britain. In May, six Bulgarian nationals were jailed for their role in a Russian spy cell operating out of a former guesthouse in Great Yarmouth. Meanwhile, individuals linked to Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group are awaiting sentencing over an arson attack targeting a warehouse that supplied communications equipment to Ukraine.
Last year, MI5 chief Ken McCallum cautioned that Russia was attempting to “sow chaos” in the UK as retaliation for British support to Ukraine. He revealed that Moscow has used criminals and private intelligence agencies to carry out covert operations on British soil.
The arrests highlight the continuing espionage threat faced by the UK amid heightened tensions over the war in Ukraine. Security agencies have pledged to remain vigilant against foreign infiltration and destabilization campaigns.
