The British police have intervened in the arrest of an employee of the British Embassy in the UK Germany The head of Scotland Yard said he was suspected of spying for Russia for “months.”
David Smith, a 57-year-old British national, Detained on Tuesday After a joint investigation by the British and German authorities. It is understood that he is not a diplomat, but a private contractor working as a security guard at the Berlin Embassy, so he has no diplomatic immunity.
The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office stated that the man was suspected of selling documents obtained in the course of his work to “a representative of the Russian intelligence service.”
Was asked Metropolitan Police Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick told LBC Radio: “We have been involved in the Metropolis investigation for several months. This is a good example of international cooperation. Of course, we have been working with German authority BKA cooperates closely [German federal police]And the prosecutor, and of course the British government.
“Someone has been arrested and is suspected of participating in what they call intelligence personnel activities. We will continue to work closely with them and complete the next steps. If this person is charged, we will support any trial, no matter where it is conducted. At present, the Germans are definitely going on. Deal with it.”
The incident triggered a call for a security review of the British Embassy contractor.
Tobias Ellwood (Tobias Ellwood), Chairman of the Defense Select Committee of the House of Commons and Conservative Party Member, Appeal to the government Examining the safety of all contractors working at the British Embassy, he described it as a “standard agreement after such an incident”, adding that the incident was “a disturbing setback from the Cold War era.”
But former national security adviser Peter Ricketts said that Britain should not overreact, because in view of the arrest in Berlin, the embassy security contractor was required to be reviewed.
Lord Ricketts, David Cameron’s security adviser, told BBC Radio 4’s Today program: “It tells me that we may not see the highly confidential information passed to the Russians-security personnel cannot obtain this information.”
However, Ricketts said the case is a reminder that Russians continue to use traditional espionage methods to steal secrets from competitors.
“We now all think of Russians stealing secrets through hacking and social media providing false information. This reminds us that Russians have not given up the old-fashioned way of bribing individuals through money. I think Russia’s intelligence threats to all of our countries have once again increased. .”
It is said that the suspect has been working for a Russian intelligence agency since at least November 2020 and is suspected of handing over documents obtained through his work to processing personnel at least once. He allegedly accepted cash bribes for passing information to Russian intelligence services.
The German news magazine “Focus” quoted the prosecutor circle as saying on Wednesday that the message passed was related to anti-terrorism issues.
The suspect is under surveillance by British and German investigators, which are believed to include MI5, but officials are unwilling to discuss when it will begin.
At 2:20 pm on Tuesday afternoon, Smith was arrested in his apartment in Potsdam and searched his home and embassy workplace.
A government minister said that it was “inappropriate” to comment on the arrest of an employee of the British Embassy in Germany on suspicion of spying for Russia.
School Minister Nick Gibb said: “I don’t think I can talk about this issue. The police are investigating this matter now.” When asked why the government representative can’t say more, Gibb added: “Because this is a matter of police investigation. , No minister is suitable to participate in your plan and discuss this particular issue.”
