British man charged with aiding Russian spies in UK sabotage plot

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LONDON (AP) — A British man was charged with assisting Russian military spies in a U.K. sabotage plot, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Joshua Cammidge, 31, was charged with engaging in conduct to materially assist a foreign intelligence service in carrying out activities in violation of the National Security Act.

Cammidge was arrested last week by counterterrorism police, but authorities didn't disclose details about what act of sabotage he allegedly planned or intended to commit.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis said it was inappropriate to comment on the specifics of the case, but that police had acted against a potential threat.

“I know people will be concerned about recent incidents across Europe, intended to sow fear, create disruption and undermine support for Ukraine. They will not succeed," Jarvis said. “We’ll continue to take whatever action is necessary to defend against the range of threats we face from Russia.”

Cammidge was in contact with a suspected representative of the GRU Volunteer Corps, a group controlled by Russia’s military intelligence agency, prosecutors said.

The U.K. deemed the group a national security threat in July for collecting foreign intelligence and conducting hostile covert operations on behalf of Russian military spies.

Support for the GRU was banned under a new law intended to give the government more powers to tackle proxy organizations carrying out hostile activity on behalf of foreign states. Supporters convicted of assisting the group face up to 14 years in prison.

GRU has been blamed by U.K. authorities for hostile activities against the country and allies that include the 2018 Salisbury nerve agent attack and wider sabotage and intelligence operations across Europe.

Cammidge is scheduled to appear Thursday in Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London. He wasn’t immediately available for comment.