UK Royal Navy sailor appears in court charged under National Security Act

Royal Navy Sailor Charged With Obtaining Secret Information Under UK National Security Act

Details of the Case and Legal Proceedings

LONDON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - A junior member of the Royal Navy appeared in a London court on Thursday charged under the National Security Act with obtaining secret information with a view to giving it to a foreign power.

Allegations Against Teddy Young

Prosecutors say Teddy Young, 24, obtained protected information to which he had access through his job with a view to disclosing it.

Foreign Power Involvement

Police did not name the foreign power to which the charges relate, though prosecutors allege Young had translated information from a secret, classified document into Russian.

Court Appearance and Charges

Young, whose role related to "warfare intelligence", appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court where he was remanded in custody ahead of his next court appearance on October 16. He was not asked to enter any pleas.

Official Statements and Investigation

Statement from Counter Terrorism Policing

"These are very serious charges against a serving member of the armed forces," Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said in a statement.

Collaboration with Ministry of Defence

"We have worked extremely closely with relevant operational colleagues within the Ministry of Defence as our investigation has progressed to ensure appropriate measures could be taken to mitigate any potential risks linked to this matter."

Unrelated Investigations

Police said the charges were not connected to the recent investigation into an incident at the RAF Fairford airbase, which US officials have said involved a potential Iranian drone attack.

Reporting and Editorial Credits

(Reporting by Michael Holden; writing by Sam Tobin; editing by Sarah Young, Paul Sandle and William James)