A 57-year-old British man has been arrested in Germany on suspicion of spying for Russia, the Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday.

The man, named only as David S, worked at the UK embassy in Berlin and is alleged to have been in breach of the German law on intelligence activity.

Scotland Yard said the arrest on Tuesday followed a joint investigation between its Counter Terrorism Command and German counterparts and that the operation is being led by Germany. “The man was arrested in the Berlin area on suspicion of committing offences relating to being engaged in ‘Intelligence Agent activity’ (under German law),” the Met Police said.

“Primacy for the investigation remains with German authorities. Officers from the Counter Terrorism Command continue to liaise with German counterparts as the investigation continues,” it said. The command is responsible for probing matters relating to alleged breaches of the UK’s Official Secrets Act.