The US military has named the American army officer arrested in the UK on suspicion of spying for Russia as Lt Col Brandon Carroll Tyner.
The 41-year-old joined up in 2008 as a senior human resources officer and has since deployed overseas to Iraq, Qatar and Afghanistan, the authorities have confirmed.
He was identified after British counter-terror police secured more time to question him, and he can now be held in custody until Tuesday November 17 after a warrant of further detention was obtained.
Arrest and Detention
He was arrested near Gloucester on Tuesday this week. It has been reported he was based at Imjin Barracks, in Innsworth, Gloucestershire, which is home to the headquarters of Nato's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.
He was detained on suspicion of offences under sections 1 and 3 of the National Security Act 2023, which cover obtaining or disclosing protected information and assisting a foreign intelligence service. Police said the country to which the allegations relate is Russia.
Reaction and Investigation
FBI director Kash Patel said at the time of the arrest that it involved "allegations of espionage, which is of the utmost concern to the United States and our allies".
He said: "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."
As part of the investigation, officers carried out searches at two locations in Gloucestershire.
A Kremlin spokesman has denied Russia has any links to the US officer. Dmitry Peskov said: "This arrest does not concern us in any way. We don't know what it's connected to. We have nothing to do with this and it has nothing to do with us."
