The U.S. Army officer arrested in the United Kingdom on suspicion of attempting to spy for Russia was a human rights specialist assigned to NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, two U.S. officials said.
The suspect, Lt. Col. Brandon Tyner, 41, was arrested in a sting operation on Nov. 10, and British authorities are expected to charge him in the coming days, according to one of the officials.
After he is charged in the UK, the U.S. military intends to prosecute Tyner in the United States under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the official said, adding that the Pentagon would collaborate with the Justice Department.
London Metropolitan Police said the arrest followed an investigation by its counter terrorism unit in collaboration with the FBI
and the U.S. military.
"This important arrest involves allegations of espionage, which is of the utmost concern to the United States and our allies," FBI Director Kash Patel wrote in a statement on Nov. 10.
"While this investigation is continuing, I want to send a clear message – this FBI has no tolerance for anyone who breaks their oath to the United States and whose actions endanger our national security and that of our partners," he added.
Tyner, who has served in the Army since 2008, was deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and Qatar. It was not immediately clear what Tyner's motive was, but one official said he is not believed to have shared any intelligence with Russian authorities.
"The alleged conduct of a senior soldier, entrusted with sensitive information, is a sobering reminder that insider threats are real and persistent,” Brig. Gen. Sean Stinchon, the commanding general of U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, said in a statement released by the Metropolitan Police.
Russian government officials have denied knowing anything about Tyner’s alleged attempts to spy for the country.
"This arrest has nothing to do with us and we don’t know what it’s related to," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a news briefing on Nov. 11.
The Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, the UK’s largest NATO base, is headquartered at Imjin Barracks in Gloucester, roughly 100 miles west of London. The ARRC is home to troops from 20 countries and is intended to command NATO land forces in Europe during a conflict.
Tyner’s arrest came on the first day of negotiations between American, Ukrainian, and Russian officials in Abu Dhabi about reaching a potential peace deal to end Russia's war against Ukraine. U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Nov. 12 as part of the diplomatic negotiations.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US Army officer accused of spying for Russia identified
