Man in Swindon charged with assisting Russian intelligence agency

A 31-year-old man from Swindon has been charged with national security offences following an investigation led by counter-terrorism policing in London, the Metropolitan police have said.

Joshua Cammidge was arrested at an address in Swindon on Friday, 4 September, by counter-terrorism officers supported by Wiltshire police. A search was also carried out at a separate address in the town. He was arrested again and detained the following day, when he was charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service and with intending to prepare or carry out an act of sabotage.

Police say the case is linked to alleged contact between Cammidge and a representative of the GRU Volunteer Corps, a group controlled by Russia's military intelligence agency that has previously been accused of carrying out sabotage against Britain and its allies.

Charged under 2023 security law

Cammidge was arrested and charged under the National Security Act, legislation introduced in 2023 to strengthen the tools available to law enforcement in countering threats such as espionage, foreign interference and sabotage.

Frank Ferguson, chief crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service's special crime and counter-terrorism division, said the CPS had decided to prosecute Cammidge after determining there was sufficient evidence and that prosecution was in the public interest. He stressed that proceedings against the defendant are active and that he is entitled to a fair trial, warning against any reporting or commentary that could prejudice the case.

Cammidge is scheduled to appear at Westminster magistrates court on Thursday, 10 September.