British Embassy security guard charged with spying for Russia

A 57-year-old security guard at the British embassy in Berlin, Germany, David Ballantyne Smith, has been arrested and charged on suspicion of spying for Russia, the embassy officials said on Wednesday.

Smith who has already been extradited to the United Kingdom, is to appear in the Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, charged with nine offences under the Official Secrets Act.

The UK national was arrested by German police on 10 August, 2021, with the offenses alleged to have happened between October 2020 and August 2021.

Read also: Denmark joins France, Germany in expelling Russian diplomats

Smith, who had been living in Potsdam, in Germany, was flown back to the UK on Wednesday ahead of his appearance at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

The Metropolitan Police said the nine charges related to the collection and communication of information useful to the Russian state.

The Head of the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Nick Price, said Smith was accused of seven offences of “collecting information with the intent of sending it to the Russian authorities, one of attempting communication and one of providing information to a person he believed was a member of the Russian authorities.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now