British man accused of spying for Russia arrested in Germany

A British embassy worker in Berlin has been arrested on suspicion of taking a cash bribe to pass sensitive documents to a Russian intelligence agency.

Germany’s highest prosecutor said the 57-year-old man, identified only as David S, was “strongly suspected” of working for the Russians since at least November last year.

The suspect, who is a security guard, has been monitored by MI5 and German intelligence for months, The Times understands. He was detained by the German federal police agency yesterday in Potsdam, a city on the western outskirts of Berlin, and will appear at a pre-trial hearing in court today.

His flat and his workplace — understood to be the British embassy in central Berlin — were also searched. The nature of his work, the contents of the documents he is alleged to have leaked and the extent of his suspected activity on behalf of the Kremlin is unclear.

The suspect has been charged under German law with “activity as an agent for a foreign secret service”. There is as yet no indication that he will face prosecution in the UK.

“David S was employed up to the time of his arrest as a local worker at the British embassy in Berlin,” German prosecutors said.

“On at least one occasion he conveyed documents that he had obtained in the course of his professional activities to a representative of a Russian intelligence service. In return for this information the suspect received a currently unknown quantity of cash.”

His arrest was the result of a joint investigation between Scotland Yard’s counterterrorism command and the German authorities. It is understood that British detectives have travelled to Berlin to take part in interviews.

The British embassy referred inquiries to the Home Office, which said: “An individual who was contracted to work for the government was arrested yesterday by the German authorities. It would not be appropriate to comment further as there is an ongoing police investigation.”

The German official told The Times it was assumed that the suspect would face trial in Germany and would not be extradited to UK. The alleged offence was described as “not the case of the century, as far as we know up to now”.

The Russian embassy in Berlin said that it had not received any official information from German officials about the arrest. “The embassy does not comment on press reports,” it added.