U.S. Army officer arrested in England on suspicion of spying for Russia is named as Lt. Col. Brandon Tyner

The U.S. Army officer arrested in England on Tuesday on suspicion of spying for Russia is Lt. Col. Brandon Tyner, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing American officials familiar with the investigation, The Jerusalem Post reports.

Tyner, 41, was stationed at NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps headquarters in the U.K., which is built to command NATO land forces in a conflict or crisis. He was arrested near Gloucester, in western England.

According to the report, Tyner spoke with people working for British authorities in a sting operation without knowing who they really were. His motives are not yet clear.

British police said the arrest was carried out with the U.S. Army and the FBI, on suspicion of offenses involving protected information and assisting a foreign intelligence service. British authorities are expected to charge him next week, and one official said he is expected to face a U.S. military trial after the British case.

FBI Director Kash Patel said, "This important arrest involves allegations of espionage, which is of the utmost concern to the United States and our allies." Brig. Gen. Sean Stinchon, head of U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, said the case "is a sobering reminder that insider threats are real and persistent."

Tyner joined the Army in 2008 and served in Afghanistan, Qatar and Iraq. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied any connection to him.