Two individuals and one woman have been apprehended in Essex under suspicion of espionage activities on behalf of Russia. The Metropolitan Police disclosed that the arrested trio, comprising two men aged 41 and 46, along with a 35-year-old woman, were taken into custody at different locations in Grays for allegedly aiding a foreign intelligence service. According to the Met, the allegations pertain to Russia.
Commander Dominic Murphy, overseeing the Counter Terrorism Command, highlighted the rise in recruitment of “proxies” by foreign intelligence agencies in recent national security cases. Murphy emphasized the case of two British men awaiting sentencing for being recruited by the Wagner Group, an entity linked to the Russian state, to commit arson at a warehouse associated with Ukraine. However, the recent arrests are unrelated to this incident.
Murphy cautioned individuals against engaging in criminal activities on behalf of foreign states within the UK, emphasizing that such actions will be thoroughly investigated and perpetrators will face prosecution with severe consequences upon conviction.
The three suspects have been released on bail as the investigation progresses. Scotland Yard refrained from disclosing the nationalities of those involved in the case.