Metropolitan Police charge Essex man with assisting Russia
Howard Phillips was arrested in central London on Thursday
Metropolitan Police officers have arrested a 64-year-old man from Essex and charged him with assisting Russia.
Officers from the force said that Howard Michael Phillips was arrested in central London on Thursday, and has since been charged with offences breaching the National Security Act.
The force said that Section 3 of the act had been broken by the man from Harlow, as it related to assisting a foreign intelligence service.
For Phillips, he was accused of helping Russian intelligence services and has been remanded in police custody.
After initial enquiries, the 64-year-old will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday (May 23rd) in connection with the charges.
In a statement, the Met Police said that other properties in both Essex and in Hertfordshire were raided as investigators piece the events together.
The statement read: "As part of the investigation, which is being led by officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, officers also searched an address in the Hertfordshire area and an address in the Essex area. Both searches are now complete.
"The arrest is not connected to any other recent charges or investigations linked to NSA offences, and there is not believed to be any threat to the wider public in connection with this matter," the force added.
The Met Police added that the charge was part of a drive being carried out by counter terror organisations, which looked into suspected offences under the National Security Act.