British part-time soldier 'tried to pass secrets to Russian spies'

Peter Hill, 23, was arrested when, it is alleged, he went to a meeting in an apparent bid to hand over material to a Russian agent at a rendezvous in Leeds.

A Whitehall source said: "It is not thought we are dealing with a professional spy but someone who took a chance believing they could make some money.

"He attempted to make contact with the Russians but he was intercepted before he could pass anything on."

News of Wednesday night's arrest comes days after MI5's new director general, Jonathan Evans, warned: "There has been no decrease in the numbers of Russian intelligence officers conducting covert activity in the UK, despite the Cold War ending nearly two decades ago."

Hill, a risk analyst, from Skipton, North Yorkshire, was detained in Leeds by Metropolitan Police officers under the Official Secrets Act.

Last night his Leeds-based lawyer Grahame Stowe, said: "My client is being held for questioning and we are awaiting further developments."

Hill, originally from Colne, Lancashire, is a politics, philosophy and economics graduate from Keele University where he also served in the Territorial Army.

On his MySpace internet site, which he last logged onto on the day he was arrested, he has written: "Just trying to find a job I can enjoy. When I'm not busy doing that I spend time training with the TA but that all ends next week after three years of fun."

He lists his hero as General Sir Mike Jackson and his favourite film as the Hunt For Red October, the story of the hunt for a missing Soviet submarine.

Later last night Hill was charged under the Explosive Substances Act and will appear at Leeds magistrates' court tomorrow.