A 31-year-old man has been charged with national security offences following an investigation led by counter-terrorism policing (CTP) London, the Metropolitan police has said.
Arrest and charges
Joshua Cammidge was arrested at an address in Swindon on Friday 4 September by CTP London officers, supported by Wiltshire police. Searches were also carried out at a separate address in the town. He was further arrested and detained the next day, then charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service and intending to commit or engage in conduct to prepare an act of sabotage.
The Met said the arrest relates to alleged contact with a representative of the GRU Volunteer Corps, a group controlled by Russia's military intelligence agency that has been accused of previously engaging in acts of sabotage against Britain and its allies.
Legal context
Cammidge was arrested and charged under the National Security Act, introduced in 2023 to increase the measures law enforcement can take to protect the UK from security threats such as espionage, foreign interference or influence, and sabotage.
Frank Ferguson, chief crown prosecutor for the CPS special crime and counter-terrorism division, said: "The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute Joshua Cammidge with National Security Act offences following a counter-terrorism policing investigation.
"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.
"We remind all concerned that proceedings against the defendant are active and he has the right to a fair trial.
"It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in anyway prejudice these proceedings."
Next steps
Cammidge is due to appear at Westminster magistrates court on Thursday 10 September.
