British worker at UK embassy in Berlin charged with Russian spying offenses

British worker at UK embassy in Berlin charged with Russian spying offenses
April 7, 2022, 9:26 am

Westminster Abbey in London (File photo: Pixabay)

The Asharq Al-Awsat reported, London police said that a British man who worked in the British embassy in Berlin has been charged with offenses under the Official Secrets Act related to passing on information useful to Russia.

According to the police, David Ballantyne Smith, 57, who was living in Potsdam, Germany and was employed as a security guard at the embassy, was extradited to Britain from Germany on Wednesday following his arrest by German police in August 2021.

Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said, he is accused of collecting information from the embassy with the intention of passing it to a foreign state.

Parliament building in Berlin, Germany (File photo: Pixabay)

Nick Price, head of counter terrorism at the CPS, said Smith had been charged with nine offenses.

He said: "He is accused of seven offenses 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."

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The police said, Smith is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Thursday (7 Apr).

Source: aawsat

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