A U.S. Army soldier has been arrested in the UK on suspicion of spying for Russia. The American soldier was apprehended near Gloucester by police on Tuesday.

The police, in a statement, said the soldier was arrested as part of an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing, working closely with American authorities, the U.S. military and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“As part of the investigation, officers are carrying out searches at two locations in Gloucestershire,” the Met Police stated. “The country to which the allegations relate is Russia.”

Vicki Evans, UK’s senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said, “This significant arrest and investigation is a result of close collaboration between UK and U.S. authorities. The allegations are serious, and our investigation is very much ongoing. This activity demonstrates the strength of our UK and US law enforcement and national security partnerships, and I commend the work of all the teams involved.”

FBI director Kash Patel said the arrest “involves allegations of espionage, which is of the utmost concern to the United States and our allies”.

Mr Patel added, “While this investigation is continuing, I want to send a clear message—this FBI has no tolerance for anyone who breaks their oath to the United States and whose actions endanger our national security and that of our partners. This includes 167 counterintelligence and espionage arrests from this FBI over the last 21 months—a 53% increase.

“This matter shows that partnerships are essential to protect our countries, and I want to express my thanks to UK Counter Terrorism Policing, MI5, UK Defence Counter Intelligence, and the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command for their outstanding work.”