A 37-year-old man from Acton is the sixth person to have been charged for alleged spying offences connected with Russia.
Metropolitan Police have revealed that it has charged Bulgarian Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev with “conspiring to collect information intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy for a purpose prejudicial to the safety and interest of the state (contrary to section 1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977).”
Mr Ivanchev was arrested on 7 February 2024 as part of an ongoing investigation into Russian spying and bailed and then charged 27 February 2024.
Commander Dominic Murphy, from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command said: “A sixth suspect was identified and arrested as a result of enquiries made following the previous five arrests in this investigation, and working with the Crown Prosecution Service, a charge has now been brought.
“Mr Ivanchev has the right to a fair trial, and we would therefore urge people not to publish anything – on social media or in news media – that creates a substantial risk of seriously prejudicing these active criminal proceedings.”
The other five people who are part of the same investigation and have been arrested, charged and awaiting trial with the same offence under section 1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977:
- Orlin Roussev, 46 of Great Yarmouth
- Bizer Maksimov Dzambarov, 42 of Harrow
- Katrin Nikolayeva Ivanova, 33 of Harrow
- Ivan Iliev Stoyanov, 32 of Greenford
- Vanya Nikolaveva Gaberova, 29 of Euston
They are all currently in custody and due to stand trial in October 2024.
