A US Army officer arrested by British counterterrorism police on suspicion of spying for Russia was an avid cryptocurrency enthusiast who described himself online as a “change agent,” it has emerged.
Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Tyner, 41, was detained on Tuesday during a joint operation involving MI5, the FBI and UK counterterrorism officers. He is suspected of offering to spy for the Kremlin after being “entrusted with sensitive information.”
Tyner, who was based at Imjin Barracks in Innsworth—the headquarters of NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC)—was publicly identified on Wednesday.
The husband and father of two was arrested under the National Security Act. Officers also searched a property in Gloucester as part of the investigation.
The soldier joined the US Army in 2008 and served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Qatar. On social media, he described himself as a “change agent” and “master of coin.”
Tyner frequently posted on LinkedIn about cryptocurrency and shared images of gold coins.
The human resources officer, whose last activity on the platform was recorded two years ago, also posted what appeared to be an edited selfie showing him wearing a Bitcoin-style face covering, holding a gold coin and with laser beams digitally added to his eyes.
Lt Col Brandon Tyner, 41, who regularly posted about cryptocurrency online, was arrested by counterterrorism police this week on suspicion of spying for Russia
Tyner, believed to have been based at Imjin Barracks—the headquarters of NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC)—in Innsworth, was named on Wednesday
In other posts, he referred to himself as a “disruptor” and shared details of books he had read, including The Chaos Imperative and The Dichotomy of Leadership.
Photographs posted on other social media accounts show Tyner with his family shortly before his arrest, as well as on holidays, at the beach and during hiking trips.
He served in Afghanistan from 2013 to 2014 and was deployed to Qatar between 2016 and 2017.
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Tyner also spent a year with a special forces task force involving Britain’s Special Boat Service, the US Navy SEALs and Delta Force.
US officials confirmed on Wednesday that Tyner had not passed any information to Moscow. He is expected to face charges in the coming days.
The case is expected to proceed under the US military justice system, one official said.
A second US official confirmed Tyner’s identity and said he had previously served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Qatar. Both officials spoke anonymously because they were discussing sensitive military matters.
At the time of his arrest on Tuesday, Tyner was a senior human resources officer. He is suspected of assisting a foreign intelligence service and obtaining or disclosing protected information.
He was serving with NATO’s ARRC, the alliance’s multinational land formation designed to respond rapidly to crises and short-notice operations. The unit says it includes forces from 20 countries and is led by the UK.
Police said the arrest was unrelated to other counterterrorism investigations. That statement appears to rule out any link to a suspected Iran-related terror plot investigated in September at RAF Fairford, a US-operated base near Gloucester.
FBI Director Kash Patel described the arrest as significant and said it involved “allegations of espionage.”
He added: “This matter shows that partnerships are essential to protect our countries, and I want to express my thanks to UK Counter Terrorism Policing, MI5, UK Defence Counter Intelligence and the US Army Counterintelligence Command for their outstanding work.”
Vicki Evans, the senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said: “This significant arrest and investigation is the result of close collaboration between UK and US authorities. The allegations are serious and our investigation is very much ongoing.”
Tyner can be held for up to two weeks from the time of his arrest, although he is expected to be charged within the next few days.
