12 Jul. () –
An Australian soldier and her husband have been arrested and charged with alleged espionage offences after investigators said the couple had obtained Australian Defence Force material to share with Russian authorities.
Australian Federal Police arrested a 40-year-old woman — a private in the army — and a 63-year-old man at their home in Brisbane on Tuesday. The charge against them carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, Australian television channel ABC reported.
The couple are due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court where the prosecution will allege the woman made an undeclared trip to her native Russia while on leave. She then taught her husband how to log into her work account and access material he was to send her.
Police allege the pair sought out the information with the intention of providing it to Russian authorities, but are still investigating whether or not they actually shared the material. It is the first time an espionage offence has been brought against them since the foreign interference law came into force in 2018.
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