British police arrested three people on Thursday on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service. According to authorities, the investigation is related to Russia, reported “Reuters“, reports News.bg.
The detainees are two men aged 41 and 46 and a 35-year-old woman. They were arrested in Essex, east of London, on charges of offences under the National Security Act. The law was passed two years ago to provide new powers against threats from foreign countries.
“Through our recent work on national security cases, we have seen an increasing number of people we would describe as ‘proxies’ recruited by foreign intelligence services,“ said Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police's Counter-Terrorism Command.
The UK has repeatedly accused Russia or its agents of orchestrating espionage plots and sabotage missions both on its territory and across Europe. The head of domestic intelligence in London stressed that Russian operatives are seeking to cause “chaos“.
The Kremlin has denied the allegations, saying the British government systematically blames Russia for everything “bad” that happens in the country.
In July, three men were found guilty of arson at businesses linked to Ukraine in London. According to British authorities, the attack was ordered by the Russian mercenary group “Wagner”. Two others also admitted their involvement in the attack.
This follows the March conviction of a group of Bulgarians accused of being part of a spy ring acting on behalf of the Kremlin.
“Two young Britons are awaiting sentencing after being recruited by the ‘Wagner’ group, effectively the Russian state, to commit arson at a warehouse linked to Ukraine,“ Murphy added.
He said they faced serious penalties, but stressed that today's arrests were not linked to that investigation.