Army Officer Accused of Trying to Spy for Russia Is Afghan War Veteran

What the report says

A U.S. Army officer arrested in Britain on suspicion of trying to spy for Russia is a decorated Afghanistan war veteran, according to two American officials familiar with the case, The New York Times reported. The officer, Lt. Col. Brandon Tyner, 41, was detained this week while serving at the headquarters of NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in Gloucestershire, a major NATO base about 100 miles west of London.

British officials are expected to file charges in the coming days, the officials said, after which the U.S. Army would seek to charge him under military law and bring him back to the United States. Authorities have not publicly explained what conduct led to the arrest, and it remains unclear whether any sensitive information was actually passed to Russia. The FBI has described the matter as involving allegations of espionage, and U.S. officials said the case relates to Russia.

The report said Tyner has served in the Army since 2008 in human resources roles and deployed to Afghanistan in 2013, as well as to Iraq and Qatar. He has received military honors including a Bronze Star Medal and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. The case comes amid heightened attention to security around U.S. military sites in Britain, though British police said this arrest was not tied to other recent incidents near American-linked bases.