A US soldier was kicked out of the military after the FBI said he enlisted to better kill black people
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Killian M. Ryan was arrested on August 26 and charged with one count of knowingly making a false statement when applying for a secret security clearance, court records show. The same day, he was discharged from the army for « gross misconduct », said army spokesman Lt. Col. Terence Kelley.
Prosecutors said Ryan operated social media accounts where he had contact with extremists, including where he made the shocking statement about why he decided to join the military.
Ryan was serving as a fire support specialist and held the rank of specialist when he was released, Kelley said. A fire support specialist collects intelligence and enemy target positions to help the army deploy and fire artillery. The job requires a secret security clearance. Ryan had served with the 2nd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery and the 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment. He hadn’t deployed.
The former paratrooper was fired for multiple conducts under the influence of alcohol, according to a defense official, but prosecutors said they uncovered far more serious issues during their investigation.
When applying for a secret security clearance in May 2020, Ryan reportedly said it had been more than 10 years since he had been in contact with his father, who was convicted of drug offenses and auto theft. .
But investigators found a number of social media accounts, all allegedly registered with Ryan, which were used to contact his father during the 10-year period. They also found recent photos of Ryan with his father, according to court records.
When investigators dug deeper into the accounts, they noted that one of Ryan’s accounts had « had contact with numerous accounts associated with racially motivated extremism, » according to court records. The account’s username referred to Sigurd – a figure from Norse mythology who is sometimes co-opted by white supremacists – and an email saved to the account referenced Nazi ideology.
On another account, Ryan reportedly posted, « I serve for combat experience so I’m more proficient at killing niggas. » Investigators found that Ryan had registered some of these social media accounts with an email containing « naziace1488 ».
CNN has reached out to Ryan’s attorney for comment.
At least 95 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6 insurgency served in the U.S. military, according to a CNN review of Pentagon and Justice Department records.
Late last year, the Pentagon then released a sharper and clearer definition of extremist behavior that, for the first time, included guidance on social media platforms and posts.
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