A former security guard at the British embassy in Berlin has been charged with spying for the Russian state after being extradited back to the UK, the Metropolitan police has said. David Smith, 57, a British national who was living in Potsdam, is charged with nine offences under the Official Secrets Act 1911, which Scotland Yard said related “to the collection and communication of information useful to the Russian state”. The alleged offences took place between October 2020 and August 2021. Smith was extradited to the UK from Germany on Wednesday after his arrest by German police on 10 August 2021. He is due to appear at Westminster magistrates court on Thursday. Scotland Yard said the investigation was led by counter-terrorism officers. One of the charges faced by Smith relates to allegations that he passed information to a person he believed was a representative of the Russian state, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. Nick Price, head of the special crime and counter terrorism division at the CPS, said: “David Smith has been charged with nine offences contrary to the Official Secrets Act. “He is accused of seven offences of collecting information with the intent of sending it to the Russian authorities, one of attempting communication, and one of providing information to a person he believed was a member of the Russian authorities. “After reviewing the case and authorising charges, we obtained an extradition warrant and worked closely with our German counterparts in order to bring Mr Smith back to the UK.”