Ex-soldier said he enlisted in the Army to become ‘more proficient in killing’ Black people, authorities allege
A former soldier who is federally charged with lying in his application for a security clearance said he enlisted in the Army so he’d be “more proficient in killing” Black people, prosecutors allege.
Killian M. Ryan, who was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, held the rank of specialist and served in the Army until Aug. 26, a spokesperson with the XVIII Airborne Corps said in a statement.
Ryan “was separated from the Army for serious misconduct,” the statement said.
An affidavit filed Aug. 25 in U.S. District Court for Eastern North Carolina alleges that Ryan had online ties to people whose social media accounts were “associated with racially motivated extremism.”
The affidavit, written by a Fayetteville police officer on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, also alleges that Ryan posted his motivation for joining the Army on an Instagram account. “I serve for combat experience so I’m more proficient in killing n——,” he is alleged to have said. Ryan also had five Instagram accounts in which he communicated with extremists who were motivated by racial animus, the affidavit said.
The Airborne Corps spokesperson said that the FBI informed the Army that Ryan was under investigation earlier this year and that the Army cooperated in his arrest on Aug. 26.
“The U.S. Army does not tolerate racism, extremism, or hatred in our ranks. The Army prohibits military personnel from participating in extremist organizations and activities. There is no place for extremism in the Army.”
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