A 31-year-old man from Swindon has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service and preparing an act of sabotage, London’s counter-terrorism police said on September 9. The charges relate to alleged contact with Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency.
Joshua Cammidge was arrested at an address in Swindon on Friday, September 4, by counter-terrorism policing London officers, supported by Wiltshire police. Searches were also conducted at a second address in the town.
Cammidge was arrested again and detained the following day. He now faces charges of assisting a foreign intelligence service and of intending to commit, or engaging in conduct to prepare, an act of sabotage.
Investigators allege the contact was with a member of the GRU Volunteer Corps, a group linked to Russian military intelligence. The case forms part of an ongoing investigation led by counter-terrorism policing London.
The charges fall under the National Security Act 2023, legislation introduced to counter hostile state activity in the United Kingdom. The act created new offences covering espionage, sabotage and assistance to foreign intelligence services, carrying substantial custodial penalties.
British authorities have brought a series of national security prosecutions in recent years involving alleged Russian activity, including arson and surveillance operations attributed to individuals recruited through online channels. Officials have described such recruitment as a method used to distance state agencies from operations carried out on British soil.
The Metropolitan Police said the investigation remains active and urged the public to report suspicious activity. Cammidge remains in custody following the charges.