British man charged over alleged Russian intelligence contact

A 31-year-old British man has been charged under the United Kingdom’s National Security Act after allegedly receiving instructions from a person believed to be linked to Russian military intelligence, prosecutors said.

Joshua Cammidge, from Swindon, was charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service and preparatory conduct, the Crown Prosecution Service said. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

The CPS said Cammidge allegedly had contact with an individual suspected of being connected to the GRU Volunteer Corps, a group controlled by Russia’s military intelligence agency. Al Jazeera reported, citing the CPS, that the alleged instructions were received with the intent to commit an act of sabotage.

Counter Terrorism Policing London officers arrested Cammidge at an address in Swindon on Friday, with support from Wiltshire Police, the Metropolitan Police said. He was taken to a police station in London while officers searched a different address in Swindon. Police said he was further arrested and detained under the National Security Act on Saturday.

The Metropolitan Police said Cammidge has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service contrary to Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023 and preparatory conduct contrary to Section 18 of the same act.

Frank Ferguson, chief crown prosecutor for the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said prosecutors had reviewed the case before bringing charges.

“Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings,” Ferguson said.

He also warned against public comment that could affect the case. “We remind all concerned that proceedings against the defendant are active and he has the right to a fair trial,” he said. “It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in anyway prejudice these proceedings.”

Al Jazeera reported that the UK deemed the GRU Volunteer Corps a national security threat in July, saying it collected foreign intelligence and carried out hostile covert operations on behalf of Russian military spies. The outlet reported that support for the group was banned under a law designed to give the government more powers to act against proxy organisations carrying out hostile activity for foreign states, and that supporters convicted of assisting the group face up to 14 years in prison.

Al Jazeera also reported that British authorities have blamed the GRU for hostile activity against the UK and its allies, including the 2018 Salisbury nerve agent attack and wider sabotage and intelligence operations across Europe.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis said police had acted against “a potential threat” and thanked them for their work. “Whilst it would be inappropriate to comment further on the specifics of this case, I know people will be concerned about recent incidents across Europe, intended to sow fear, create disruption and undermine support for Ukraine. They will not succeed,” he said.

Jarvis also said the UK would take “whatever action is necessary” to defend against Russian threats, adding: “Anyone attempting to undermine our security will feel the full force of the law.”

Al Jazeera reported that relations between Britain and Russia have deteriorated sharply since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with British authorities increasingly warning about alleged Russian espionage, sabotage and other hostile state activity. It also reported that Russia last month warned it could strike British military targets in response to Ukrainian attacks using British-supplied long-range missiles.