Russia denies connection to US military officer arrested in Britain.
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, November 13: Russian President Dmitry Peskov's press secretary recently told reporters that a US military officer arrested in Britain and deployed to NATO's "Rapid Reaction Force" has no ties to Russia.
Paskov said on the 11th that "this arrest will not worry us in any way". Russia has no idea what the arrest entails and has nothing to do with it.
The police counter-terrorism division, which is affiliated with the London police, announced on the 10th that a US army officer was arrested near Gloucestershire, England, that day, "on suspicion of spying for Russia". The 41-year-old suspect was posted to NATO's Joint Rapid Reaction Force in Gloucestershire. The specific relevant actions included obtaining or disclosing protected information and assisting foreign intelligence agencies. The US military confirmed that it had access to "sensitive information".
According to reports from the US Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press on the 12th, the officer arrested is Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Tyner. He joined the Army in 2008 and was deployed to Afghanistan, Qatar and Iraq, earning the Bronze Star Medal for his overseas service experience. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 2024 and served as a high-ranking human resources official in NATO's Rapid Reaction Force.
Tyner was investigated by the British police, the FBI and the US military. The British side is expected to officially charge him on the 15th or 16th. After his trial in the UK, Tyner will be extradited to a US military court.
According to reports, Tyner's arrest was the result of a "sting operation."
The British-led NATO Joint Rapid Reaction Force is made up of military personnel from 20 NATO member states including the United Kingdom and the United States. Its responsibility is to command NATO ground forces in the event of a conflict or crisis. The Joint Rapid Reaction Force recently participated in an exercise involving European defense.