In the recycling bin, documents that could have been of interest to criminal or terrorist groups ended up.
British soldiers / © Associated Press
A scandal erupted in Great Britain after classified Ministry of Defence documents containing names and ranks of servicemen, duty schedules, and information on weapon storage were found among household waste.
This was reported by The Sun.
A folder marked MoD was found in a recycling bin near Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire. The documents were discovered by a local resident who handed them over to the authorities to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.
“They should have either been shredded or kept in a secure location,” said the man who found the papers.
The documents contained personnel and weapon data
According to the publication, the discarded materials included the names and ranks of military personnel, guard shift schedules, as well as information on the inventory of guard rooms and weapon storage systems.
In addition, the documents contained details about inspections of secured safes with keys to ammunition and weapon depots, as well as descriptions of procedures for responding to incidents and alarms.
Experts emphasize that such information could be of interest to criminal or terrorist groups.
The Royal Military Police is investigating how documents covering the period from 2018 to 2023 ended up in a landfill a few kilometers from a military base.
Investigators intend to trace the entire chain of their custody—from the barracks to the waste bin.
Politicians and military officials called the incident a disgrace
Philip Ingram, a former senior officer in British Army military intelligence, stated that the incident demonstrates a “lack of attention and control” in handling sensitive information.
“The Army must take this seriously, as there is a clear security risk. This is a breach of procedure that shows negligence,” he emphasized.
Gavin Williamson, former UK Defence Secretary, called the situation a “real security problem” and a “disgrace,” noting that documents of such sensitivity require extremely careful control at all stages—from creation to destruction.
The Ministry of Defence stated that it takes information security seriously and has already launched an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.
Recall that earlier it was reported that during a trip to Kyiv, US General Antonio Aguto suffered a head injury after consuming alcohol. He later also lost a tube containing classified materials.
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