David Smith, 57, a British national living in Potsdam, is charged with nine counts under the Secret Service Act of 1911, which Scotland Yard said involved “gathering and communicating information useful to the Russian state”. The alleged offenses were committed between October 2020 and August 2021. Smith was extradited to the United Kingdom from Germany on Wednesday after being arrested by German police on August 10, 2021. He is expected to appear in Westminster court on Thursday. Scotland Yard said the investigation was conducted by counterterrorism officers. One of the charges against Smith is related to allegations that he passed information to a person he believed to be a representative of the Russian state, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. Nick Price, head of the CPS ‘Special Crime and Counter-Terrorism Unit, said: “David Smith has been charged with nine offenses against the Official Secrets Act. “He is charged with seven counts of gathering information for the purpose of sending it to the Russian authorities, one for attempted communication and one for providing information to a person who he believed was a member of the Russian authorities. “After examining the case and approving the charges, we received an extradition warrant and worked closely with our German counterparts to bring Mr Smith back to the United Kingdom.”
