He will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court
(Picture: PA Archive)A British man will appear in court accused of collecting information “useful to the Russian state”.
David Ballantyne Smith, a former security guard at the British Embassy in Berlin, is charged with nine offences under the Official Secrets Acts 1911.
The 57-year-old, formerly living in Potsdam, Germany, was extradited back to the UK from Germany on Wednesday after his arrest by German police on August 10 last year.
He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on Thursday.
The alleged offences are said to have been committed between October 2020 and August 2021.
The charges come after an investigation which is being led by the Met’s Counter-Terrorism Command.
Scotland Yard said the nine charges relate to “the collection and communication of information useful to the Russian state”.
