Essex man, 64, charged with spying for Russia after being seized by counter-terror police
23 May 2024, 15:04 | Updated: 23 May 2024, 15:06
A man in his 60s has been charged with spying for Russia.
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Howard Michael Phillips, 64, has been charged with working with Russia to commit an offence in breach of the National Security Act.
Phillips, from Harlow in Essex, has been remanded in police custody and is set to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday afternoon.
He was first arrested at last Thursday (May 16).
Police got a warrant of further detention, meaning he could be detained until this Thursday.
Officers also searched properties in Hertfordshire and Essex as part of their investigations.
Police said that Phillips was not linked to any of the recent spying arrests.
Earlier this month, three men were charged with spying for China.
Chi Leung (Peter) Wai, 38, of Staines-upon-Thames, Matthew Trickett, 37, of Maidenhead, and Hackney resident Chung Biu Yuen, 63 were charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service, and foreign interference.
Trickett was later found dead in unexplained circumstances.
In April, 20-year-old Dylan Earl was charged with spying for Russia and accused of masterminding an arson attack on Ukrainian-linked businesses in London.
The British government also expelled the Russian defence attache from London, accusing him of spying.
