Decorated U.S. Army Officer Arrested Overseas On Suspicion Of Spying For America’s Enemy

British police on Tuesday arrested a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel suspected of spying for Russia after he unknowingly spoke with British investigators conducting a sting operation.

British authorities, working closely with U.S. authorities, arrested Lt. Col. Brandon Tyner, 41, near the headquarters of NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps near Gloucester, England. Tyner is expected to be charged as soon as Sunday in the U.K. with assisting a foreign intelligence service and obtaining or disclosing protected information, according to the New York Times.

Tyner was “a senior soldier, entrusted with sensitive information,” according to Brig. Gen. Sean Stinchon, head of U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command. Stinchon added that the case “is a sobering reminder that insider threats are real and persistent.”

Whether Tyner successfully handed over sensitive information remains unclear. A Bronze Star recipient, Tyner worked in personnel and human resources at the NATO headquarters. His motive remains unclear, officials told the Wall Street Journal.

“This important arrest involves allegations of espionage, which is of the utmost concern to the United States and our allies,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. “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.”

Following the expected British charges, the Army is expected to bring Tyner back to the United States and charge him under U.S. military law. Russia has denied any association with the suspected spy.

“This arrest does not concern us in any way. We don’t know what it’s connected to,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media on Wednesday, per the Associated Press. “We have nothing to do with this, and it has nothing to do with us.”

Tyner joined the Army in January 2008 and deployed to Afghanistan for a year starting in December 2013. He served in Qatar and later Iraq in 2019 and 2020. According to Army records, he was promoted to major in 2018 and lieutenant colonel in 2024.

Tyner was assigned to NATO’s Gloucester base earlier this year. The Allied Rapid Reaction Corps is tasked with commanding NATO land forces in a conflict or crisis.