Briton charged over alleged plot to sabotage UK drone factories
Prosecutors say 31-year-old Kamidge supplied locations for four drone plants in Swindon and was in contact with the GRU 'Volunteers' Corps'.
A British man has been charged in London with plotting to sabotage drone-manufacturing sites in England in coordination with alleged Russian intelligence operatives, prosecutors said on Thursday.
Thirty-one-year-old Joshua Kamidge faces an accusation of directly assisting a foreign intelligence service, a breach of the National Security Act. He pleaded not guilty at his first court appearance and remains in custody.
Kamidge was ordered to return to the Central Criminal Court in London on 25 September. Prosecutor Warren Stanier told the court that Kamidge had been in contact with an individual said to represent the "Volunteers' Corps of the GRU", a group linked to Russia's military intelligence service.
Alleged role and timeline
"The main subject of their communications was the locations of drone factories in the United Kingdom and planning to sabotage them," Stanier said. "He knew exactly who he was communicating with and what the consequences were of what he was offering," he added.
Prosecutors say that between March and the start of September, Kamidge provided information on four drone-production sites in his hometown of Swindon, west of London.
The United Kingdom designated the Volunteers' Corps of the GRU as a national security threat in July. The new law that criminalises support for the group carries penalties of up to 14 years in prison, and UK authorities attribute a range of hostile operations against Britain and its allies to the GRU.
Photo: press material from the event
