Special Forces scandal as officers are held 'for trying to leak secrets' - 9th Apr 2011

Two senior Special Forces officers suspected of leaking details of highly sensitive covert operations have been arrested under the Official Secrets Act, the Daily Mail can reveal.

The unprecedented arrests came as members of the SAS and SBS were deployed in Libya in preparation for airstrikes and to liaise with rebels and identify stranded British oil workers for rescue.

It was unclear last night what the officers are suspected of leaking, but it is understood it involves attempts to pass it to a major broadcaster.

The investigation is focused primarily on information relating to the war in Afghanistan against the Taliban and Al Qaeda. But it is also looking at secret information the men had access to about Libya and other countries where Special Forces have been operating.

Such is the sensitivity of the case that the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office are being regularly briefed on its progress by anti-terrorist officers. Whitehall officials last night described the allegations against the men, who would have had a high security clearance, as ‘extremely serious’.

Neither officer has been named. One was based in the heart of the MoD headquarters in central London where the Libyan operation was being planned.

As the crisis in Libya developed, Britain moved in SAS men. They were joined later by members of the SBS and soldiers from the Special Services Support Group, including communications specialists. Read More