British police said Thursday they arrested three people on suspicion of spying on Russia.
The group – a 41-year-old man, a 46-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman, all of whom were arrested on suspicion of supporting a foreign intelligence reporting agency in Essex County, northeast London, a statement from London Metropolitan Police said.
They said they had been arrested as part of a counterterrorist investigation into alleged crimes under the National Security Act, and took them to a London police station.
Officers conducted searches at two addresses in Essex. All three have since been released on conditional bail, but the investigation remains ongoing, police said.
CNN is approaching the Russian Embassy in London for comment.
Commander Dominik Murphy, who is the head of the Counterterrorism Command, said: “In recent national security casework, more and more people have explained that “proxies are being recruited by foreign intelligence agencies.” ”
Murphy cited the recent arson attack in a Ukrainian-run warehouse in Leighton, an eastern London town, carried out by a proxy on behalf of the Russian Wagner group. However, he stressed that Thursday’s arrest was not related to the investigation.
Since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, relations between Britain and Russia have taken the crater, and the Kremlin has denied any previous accusations of spies.
Several European countries have accused Russia of carrying out espionage and sabotage.
Lithuania on Wednesday accused Russia of being behind the explosion of parcels carried by DHL and DPD in Europe in 2024.
