Spc. Killian Ryan is being federally charged for lying on an application for a security clearance, known as an SF86 form, but as additional information has become available it appears that the Fort Bragg soldier was carrying around something far darker than a banal lie about his relationship with his father on a government form.
First reported by Rolling Stone, the 21-year-old soldier assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division ran a series of Instagram accounts which proved to be his undoing.
According to the Joint Terrorism Task Force who wrote that affidavit, Spc. Ryan wrote on one social media account that he was in the Army because "I serve for combat experience so I'm more proficient in killing n------."
According to the court documents, Spc. Ryan used his Instagram accounts to maintain contact with extremists and racists. One account even went by the handle "naziace1488." The number 88 is a code for the 8th letter of the alphabet: H with 88 meaning Hail Hitler. And 14 is a reference to the infamous 14-word racist speech which states, "we must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children."
When the Army caught Spc. Ryan lying on his SF86 form, it appears to have presented the perfect opportunity to get rid of him. Normally, soldiers and federal employees are not prosecuted for lying on government forms but will simply lose their job. Spc. Ryan seems to be a special case though.
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In an optional comment block on his SF86, Spc. Ryan allegedly lied about contact with his father, a convicted felon. Already facing legal problems stemming from a previous DUI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of North Carolina decided to prosecute him for SF86 allegations.
As for the Army, a spokesperson for the XVIII Airborne Corps stated Spc. Ryan has been separated from the Army for, "serious misconduct."
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