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By Joshua Rhett Miller and Ellie Cook
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A U.S. Army soldier accused of spying on behalf of Russia is a decorated veteran with prior deployments in Afghanistan, Iraq and Qatar, officials said.
Lt. Col. Brandon Tyner, who was arrested Tuesday while serving in NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps at Imjin Barracks in England, had been enlisted as a senior human resources officer in the Army since joining the service in 2008. It's unclear what level of intelligence he had been able to access, a NATO official told Newsweek.
U.S. authorities are ultimately expected to seek to transfer Tyner, who is expected to be formally charged by British officials on Sunday or Monday, to be prosecuted by the Army under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the NATO official said.
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No information is believed to have been transferred to Russian operatives, a U.S. official told the Associated Press.
Tyner, who has received military commendations including a Bronze Star Medal and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, has previously deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and Qatar. At the time of his arrest on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service and obtaining or disclosing protected information, he had been assigned to a NATO unit near Gloucester.
A spokesman for the Kremlin has denied that Russia has any link to Tyner, who had been promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported.
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"This arrest does not concern us in any way," Peskov told reporters on Wednesday, according to Russian news services. "We don’t know what it’s connected to. We have nothing to do with this and it has nothing to do with us."
London's Metropolitan Police announced Tyner's arrest Tuesday following a joint investigation with the FBI and U.S. military officials.
"The allegations are serious and our investigation is very much ongoing," Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator for counter terrorism policing, said in a statement. "This activity demonstrates the strength of our UK and US law enforcement and national security partnerships, and I commend the work of all the teams involved. We will work together to take robust action against those we suspect of any criminal activity that could undermine our national security."
London police said Tyner's arrest was not connected to other counterterrorism investigations, indicating no link to a suspected terror plot linked to Iran at a U.S.-run base in Britain in September.
Tyner, whose suspected motive has not been disclosed, had been unwittingly speaking with British authorities prior to his arrest, U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal.
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Tyner, who remains in custody, received a bachelor's degree in criminology from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, according to his LinkedIn page.
"I make Human Resource challenges non-existent," the page reads. "Executives and Commanders need maximum time to constantly improve the organization. I'm a catalyst for building teams and ensuring results are timely and relevant. I thrive in high energy, ever evolving organizations with passions for diversity, growth, and cultural fitness. I'm excited to help you excel!"
Newsweek reached out to Tyner's wife by telephone and email on Friday.
Tyner's unit, which is comprised of forces from 20 nations but led by British authorities, prepares to respond quickly to short-notice operations. He had been based at NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps headquarters in Gloucestershire, about 100 miles west of London. ARRC hosts the largest contingent of U.S. Army troops in the United Kingdom, with more than 12,000 U.S. military personnel and civilian staff primarily working at British air bases.
FBI Director Kash Patel said Tyner's arrest regarding allegations of espionage represented the "utmost concern" to the United States and its allies.
"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," Patel said in a statement Tuesday.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Geoffrey Rowland.
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