US officer accused of Russian spying is set to be charged in UK, official says

LONDON (AP) — An American Army officer who was arrested in the United Kingdom on suspicion of spying for Russia had not handed over any information to Moscow and he is expected to be charged in Britain in the coming days, a U.S. official said Thursday.

After the British charges are filed against Lt. Col. Brandon Tyner, expected on Sunday or Monday, the intention is then to prosecute him under the U.S. military justice system, the official said. No information made it into Russian hands, the official said.

A second U.S. official also confirmed Tyner’s name and said he had been previously deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and Qatar. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.

Tyner was a senior human resources officer and had been assigned to a NATO unit at a base near Gloucester, England. He was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service and obtaining or disclosing protected information.

The Metropolitan Police announced the arrest this week and said its counterterror forces worked closely with the FBI and U.S. military.

Tyner was serving in NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps at Imjin Barracks near Gloucester. The multinational land unit within the NATO military alliance is designed to quickly respond to crises or short-notice operations. According to the unit’s website, it is made up of forces from 20 nations but is led by the British.

Police said the arrest was not related to other counterterrorism investigations, indicating no connection with a suspected terror plot linked to Iran in September at a U.S.-run base in Britain, RAF Fairford, near Gloucester.

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Toropin reported from Washington.