Joshua Cammidge #

Introduction #

Joshua Cammidge is a 31-year-old British man from Swindon, England, who was charged on 9 September 2026 with two offences under Britain’s National Security Act 2023: assisting a foreign intelligence service, and preparatory conduct that prosecutors say amounts to preparing an act of sabotage. The Crown Prosecution Service authorised the charges after a counter terrorism policing investigation into alleged contact between Cammidge and a suspected representative of the GRU Volunteer Corps, a group described by prosecutors as controlled by Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU. Prosecutors allege that, between late March and early September 2026, Cammidge passed on Google Maps screenshots of drone-manufacturing sites in his home town with intent to commit sabotage. He has not entered a plea and is presumed innocent, and the allegations against him have not been tested at trial.

Background Information #

Little is publicly known about Cammidge beyond what emerged at the charging stage: he is a British national whose home town is Swindon, a large town in southwest England. The case centres on the GRU Volunteer Corps, which the UK government designated a national security threat in July 2026 for collecting foreign intelligence and conducting hostile covert operations on behalf of Russian military spies. Support for the group was banned under legislation aimed at proxy organisations carrying out hostile activity for foreign states, and supporters convicted of assisting it face up to 14 years in prison. The GRU itself has been blamed by UK authorities for hostile acts including the 2018 Salisbury nerve agent attack. Relations between Britain and Russia have deteriorated sharply since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Euronews described the case as landing against a tense backdrop that also includes the 2006 poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

Allegations. The claims in this section are allegations from prosecutors in criminal charges under the National Security Act. Joshua Cammidge has been charged but has not been tried: he has not entered a plea and is presumed innocent, and nothing has been adjudicated in court.

According to the Metropolitan Police, Cammidge was arrested at an address in Swindon on Friday, 4 September 2026, by Counter Terrorism Policing London officers supported by Wiltshire Police. He was taken to a London police station, and searches were carried out at a different address in Swindon. On 5 September he was further arrested and detained under the National Security Act on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service.

The charges were made public on Wednesday, 9 September 2026. “The charges against Joshua Cammidge, 31, came on Wednesday following his arrest last week by counterterrorism police,” Al Jazeera reported. Euronews summarised the accusations: “Joshua Cammidge was charged this week with two offences under Britain’s National Security Act: helping a foreign intelligence service, and preparing to commit sabotage.” Police said the offences were assisting a foreign intelligence service contrary to section 3 of the National Security Act 2023 and preparatory conduct contrary to section 18 of the same act.

Frank Ferguson, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said the prosecution had been authorised following the counter terrorism policing investigation, adding: “Prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.” He stressed that the proceedings are active and that Cammidge has the right to a fair trial.

The alleged conduct, as set out by prosecutors, took place between late March and early September 2026. Prosecutors say Cammidge received instructions from a suspected representative of the GRU Volunteer Corps; shared screenshots from Google Maps pinpointing drone-manufacturing sites in Swindon, with the prosecution telling Westminster Magistrates’ Court that he provided information on four drone-manufacturing sites in his home town; researched a device capable of jamming Wi-Fi signals; scouted the sites in person; and offered to carry out an act of sabotage himself. At the hearing, as The Guardian reported: “The British man Joshua Cammidge, arrested as an alleged Russian agent, was part of a plot to sabotage a drone factory in England, prosecutors said on Thursday in a London court.”

Public Reaction and Consequences #

The case was announced through the Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service and drew immediate national coverage. Security Minister Dan Jarvis said: “The police have taken action against a potential threat, and I thank them for the vital work they do every day to keep us safe,” adding that the government would take “whatever action is necessary” to defend against Russian threats and that “Anyone attempting to undermine our security will feel the full force of the law.” The CPS urged that there be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online that could prejudice the proceedings, and the Guardian’s Ukraine war briefing highlighted the court’s claim that a Swindon drone factory was the target of the alleged plot. The charges also landed amid heightened warnings about Russian sabotage in Europe, with Russia having warned the previous month that it could strike British military targets.

Current Status #

Cammidge appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 10 September 2026. He did not enter a plea and was remanded in custody. His case has been sent to London’s Old Bailey, where he is next due to appear on 25 September 2026. He remains charged but untried, is presumed innocent, and no allegation against him has been adjudicated in court.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

Since his arrest, Cammidge has been held on remand in custody, and public reporting has disclosed no details of his occupation or professional history. His name is now publicly associated with an alleged Russian intelligence-directed plot to sabotage drone manufacturing in England, one of the most high-profile uses of the National Security Act’s new powers since the GRU Volunteer Corps was designated a national security threat in July 2026. Al Jazeera reported that supporters convicted of assisting the group face up to 14 years in prison. Any consequences for his liberty, reputation and future remain contingent on a trial that has not yet taken place, and he is entitled to the presumption of innocence until that happens.