British man suspected of spying for Russia extradited from Germany

By Karim El-Bar

LONDON (AA) – A security guard at the British Embassy in Berlin suspected of spying for Russia has been extradited from Germany and will appear in a British court, London police said on Wednesday.

David Smith, 57, was arrested by German police in August 2021, with his reported offences having been carried out between October 2020 and then.

He was detained in Potsdam after being monitored by MI5, Britain’s domestic intelligence service. British and German authorities carried out a joint investigation and searched his home and office.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that one of the nine charges he faces is the allegation he passed on information collected from the British Embassy to a person he believed to be a representative of the Russian state.

Smith, who was flown from Germany today, will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

Nick Price, head of special crime and counter-terrorism division at the CPS, said: "David Smith has been charged with nine offences contrary to the Official Secrets Act.

"He is accused of seven offences of collecting information with the intent of sending it to the Russian authorities, one of attempting communication and one of providing information to a person he believed was a member of the Russian authorities.

"After reviewing the case and authorising charges, we obtained an extradition warrant and worked closely with our German counterparts in order to bring Mr Smith back to the UK."