UK Police Arrest Two Male Suspects, Woman In London Suspected To Be Russian Spies
UK Police Arrest Two Male Suspects, Woman In London Suspected To Be Russian Spies
The United Kingdom Police confirmed on Thursday that three people were arrested in Essex, east of London, on suspicion of spying for Russia.
Authorities in the United Kingdom, Lithuania and Latvia have arrested several individuals suspected of conducting intelligence-related activities on behalf of Russia.
The United Kingdom Police confirmed on Thursday that three people were arrested in Essex, east of London, on suspicion of spying for Russia.
The suspects — two men aged 41 and 46, and a 35-year-old woman — were detained under the Official Secrets Act, with officers also searching two properties.
They were later released on bail pending further investigation, AP News reports.
In Lithuania, prosecutors said on Wednesday that they had dismantled a Russia-linked network accused of plotting and coordinating arson attacks across several European countries.
According to the prosecutor general’s office, the suspects allegedly worked on behalf of Russia’s military intelligence service and sent packages containing homemade incendiary devices to the UK and other EU states using courier companies.
The devices, hidden inside vibrating massage cushions and cosmetic tubes, were fitted with timed detonators designed to trigger fires and explosions.
Meanwhile, in Latvia, the state security service announced the arrest of a man accused of passing sensitive military intelligence to Moscow.
Authorities did not disclose further details but confirmed the case was linked to wider Russian espionage operations in the region.
European security agencies have repeatedly warned that a Russia-backed sabotage campaign is becoming increasingly dangerous, with espionage, arson, and assassination plots documented across the continent since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
According to data compiled by the Associated Press, there have been at least 80 Russia-linked incidents, including 18 cases of espionage and 18 incidents of arson or serious sabotage.
Targets have included restaurants, warehouses, shopping centers, and even a foiled plot to assassinate the CEO of a German arms manufacturer.
In Lithuania, authorities said 15 suspects — nationals of Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Ukraine — are believed to have organized and executed arson attacks on Moscow’s behalf. An international arrest warrant has been issued for three individuals, though officials did not disclose how many suspects are currently in custody.
Investigators revealed that packages used in the sabotage operations contained thermite, a powerful incendiary material with both industrial and military applications.
Western officials have accused Russia and its intelligence proxies of waging a shadow war across Europe through sabotage, cyberattacks, and destabilisation efforts. The Kremlin has denied all allegations, dismissing them as Western propaganda.
According to prosecutors, the packages were posted by a Lithuanian citizen on July, 19 2024.
Two shipments were sent from Vilnius to the UK by DHL cargo planes, and the other two were sent to Poland by DPD trucks.
One of them caught fire at the DHL logistics center in Leipzig on July 20, just before it was loaded onto a DHL cargo plane to the U.K. Another shipment to Britain caught fire in the early hours of July 22 at a DHL warehouse in the city of Birmingham.
The Lithuanian prosecutor general’s office said two of the people detained were also involved in an arson attack on an IKEA store in the capital, Vilnius, on May 9, 2024.
It said one of the men is a Ukrainian citizen who also uses the identity of a Russian citizen, while the other is a dual Lithuanian-Russian national
During the investigation, more than 30 searches were carried out in Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, and Estonia, during which further incendiary devices were found. The authorities suspect that the devices could have been used to plan and carry out further attacks.
Lithuanian authorities said because of the “extremely dangerous” acts, a joint investigation team was created, with the cooperation of law enforcement and intelligence officers from nine countries including the U.S. and Canada.
