The U.S. Army officer arrested in England on suspicion of spying for Russia has been identified as Lt. Col. Brandon Tyner, a 41-year-old senior human resources officer assigned to a NATO headquarters, according to multiple reports.
Tyner was arrested Tuesday near Gloucester, about 100 miles west of London, after a sting operation in which he allegedly spoke with people he did not realize were British officials, The Wall Street Journal first reported. He was assigned to NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps at Imjin Barracks, a multinational, high-readiness command led by the British Army.
London’s Metropolitan Police said counterterrorism officers carried out the arrest in close coordination with the FBI and the U.S. military. Tyner was arrested on suspicion of violating two sections of Britain’s 2023 National Security Act: assisting a foreign intelligence service and obtaining or disclosing protected information. Police said the country tied to the allegations is Russia.
A U.S. official told The Associated Press that no sensitive information reached Moscow and that Tyner is expected to face British charges Sunday or Monday. On Thursday, authorities obtained a warrant of further detention, allowing him to be held until Nov. 19. One official said Tyner is expected to stand trial in the United States under military law after he is tried in Britain.
FBI Director Kash Patel called it “an important arrest” involving espionage allegations “of the utmost concern to the United States and our allies.”
Brig. Gen. Sean Stinchon, commanding general of Army Counterintelligence Command, said, “The alleged conduct of a senior soldier, entrusted with sensitive information, is a sobering reminder that insider threats are real and persistent.”
Vicki Evans, Britain’s senior national coordinator for counterterrorism policing, said, “The allegations are serious and our investigation is very much ongoing.”
Tyner enlisted in 2008 and previously served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Qatar. His motive has not been made public, and the Army has not detailed what information he could access.
The Kremlin quickly denied any involvement. “This arrest has nothing to do with us, and we don’t know what it’s related to,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
British police said the case is not connected to the suspected Iranian-linked plot in September targeting RAF Fairford, a U.S. base near Gloucester, which prompted the Air Force to pull bombers from the facility.
The arrest comes amid heightened concern over threats to U.S. forces stationed in Britain, rising tension between Russia and European nations, and renewed U.S.-brokered talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
The case adds to a string of Russia-related espionage allegations involving American service members. Last year, the Justice Department charged an active-duty soldier with allegedly trying to pass sensitive information about the M1A2 Abrams tank to Russia.
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