British Embassy security guard captured in Germany, allegedly spying on Russians

David Smith, 57, was arrested by German police on 10 August last year and accused of gathering information from the British Embassy in Berlin in order to pass it on to a foreign state.

One of the nine charges relates to claims that he has given information to a person he believed was a representative of the Russian state, the Prosecutor's Service said.

The supposed works were performed between October 2020 and August 2021.

Nick Price, head of the Special Crime and Counterterrorism Division, said David Smith is accused of nine acts contrary to the Official Secret Act.

“He is accused of seven information collection works aimed at sending him to Russian authorities, an attempt to communicate and an information tip to a person he believed to be a member of Russian authorities. After reviewing the case and authorising the charges, we received an extradition order and worked closely with our German counterparts to bring Smith back to Great Britain”, he said.

Smith was monitored by MI5 and arrested at Potsdam on charges he had worked “for a foreign secret service”, the German public prosecutor said at the time.

His arrest was the result of a joint investigation by German and British authorities, and investigators searched his home and office, the prosecutor's statement reportedly broadcast Sky News.