Three men have been arrested on suspicion of assisting Russia’s intelligence service.
The Metropolitan Police said the three men, aged 44, 45 and 48, were arrested at addresses in west and central London by detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing on Thursday.
They were detained under Section 3 of the National Security Act, which covers conduct which would “materially assist a foreign intelligence service in carrying out UK-related activities”.
A person convicted under Section 3 can be sentenced to a maximum prison term of 14 years, a fine, or both.
The men are now in police custody at a London station, the force added.
Searches are being carried out at the London addresses as well as another address in the city’s west.
“We’re seeing an increasing number of who we would describe as ‘proxies’ being recruited by foreign intelligence services and these arrests are directly related to our ongoing efforts to disrupt this type of activity,” Commander Dominic Murphy, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said.
“Anyone who might be contacted by and tempted into carrying out criminal activity on behalf of a foreign state here in the UK should think again.
“This kind of activity will be investigated and anyone found to be involved can expect to be prosecuted and there are potentially very serious consequences for those who are convicted.”
