Three arrested in Essex over suspected aid to Russian intelligence

Three people were arrested on Thursday in Grays, Essex, on suspicion of assisting Russian intelligence, the Metropolitan Police said. A 41 year old man and a 35 year old woman were detained at one address and a 46 year old man at a separate property in the same area, officers said. All three were taken to a police station in London and have since been released on police bail with conditions while inquiries continue.

The arrests were made on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service, contrary to section 3 of the National Security Act 2023, the Met said, and the force confirmed the country to which the allegations relate is Russia. Searches were carried out at the two addresses in Essex, and specialist counterterrorism and national security officers are leading the investigation. Scotland Yard said it would not disclose the nationalities of those arrested.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, framed the detentions as part of a broader trend. He said that recent national security casework had revealed an increasing number of individuals who could be described as proxies being recruited by foreign intelligence services. He warned that...