Ex-Soldier Enlisted To Be 'More Proficient' At Killing Black People, Affidavit Says

FORT BRAGG, NC — A former soldier who said on social media that he joined the military to become more skilled at killing Black people is charged in federal court after he lied on an application for government secret security clearance, according to legal documents.

Killian M. Ryan is charged with making a false statement in violation of federal law, according to an Aug. 25 affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court’s Eastern District of North Carolina.

In May 2020, Ryan submitted an application for security clearance from the U.S. government and then enlisted in the Army as a joint fire support specialist, which requires the clearance, the affidavit said. After over a year of training, Ryan reported to Fort Bragg and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, according to the affidavit.

In his clearance application, Ryan said he hadn’t been in touch with his father in over a decade, according to the affidavit, but social media and phone records showed frequent, recent contact between the two, including a 2019 photo of them together at Ryan’s high school graduation.

Ryan’s father is a convicted felon whose Instagram account has been in contact with numerous accounts associated with racist extremism, the affidavit said. Ryan, too, had several Instagram accounts that had similar contact with racist accounts, according to the affidavit.

More than one of Ryan’s accounts were created using an email that included the word “Nazi,” the affidavit said. On one such account, Ryan posted that he served "for combat experience" in order to be "more proficient" in killing Black people, using a racist slur in the post, according to the affidavit.

Ryan was "separated for serious misconduct" from the Army on Aug. 26, the same day he was arrested by the FBI, according to a spokesperson for XVIII Airborne Corps, who said the Army cooperated with law enforcement after being informed earlier in the year that Ryan was under investigation.

"The U.S. Army does not tolerate racism, extremism, or hatred in our ranks," the spokesperson said in a prepared statement. "The Army prohibits military personnel from participating in extremist organizations and activities. There is no place for extremism in the Army."

Ryan’s attorney did not respond Friday to an email seeking comment.