A security guard at the British Embassy in Berlin has appeared in court after being accused of spying for the Russian state. David Smith, 57, was arrested by German police on Aug. 10, 2021, and was extradited to the UK on April 6. The British national was charged with nine offences under the Official Secrets Act and appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on April 7. Wearing a blue jumper and jeans, he confirmed his name and age, but told the court that he no longer had an address. He appeared unemotional as he pleaded not guilty to the charges. He has been accused of gathering information from the British Embassy and passing it to someone he believed was a representative of the Russian state between October 2020 and August 2021. Smith allegedly “attempted to communicate” by letter with “General Major Sergey Chukhurov, the Russian military attache based out of the …