Ikaika Erik Kang, age 34, is an active duty Army sergeant who was arrested by a SWAT team on Saturday at his apartment in Waipahu, Hawaii on a probable cause warrant for the benefit of public safety, said Paul D. Delacourt, FBI Special Agent in Charge, Honolulu.
According to authorities, he allegedly wanted to kill a lot of people. Kang reportedly made that statement to an undercover federal agent on Saturday.
He, then, pledged his loyalty to ISIS. He is also accused of attempting to give tangible support, in addition to training, the terrorist group. He had his first appearance in federal court on Monday.
Accused American soldier passed no classified documents to ISIS
No classified materials were passed from Kang to the Islamic State terrorist group, according to the FBI, which believes that Kang was acting alone. Delacourt said the accused isn’t connected with anyone else presenting “a threat to Hawaii.” Kang is assigned to the combat aviation brigade of 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks. His position was an air traffic controller.
He has extensive combat training and he has two registered firearms.
Birney Bervar, Kang’s defense attorney, said his client served two Middle East deployments, is a decorated veteran and possibly has mental health issues that are “service-related.” Bervar further said that the government, though aware of the possibility of mental health problems, neglected to treat Kang.
Father thinks son might have post-trauma issues
Clifford Klang, the accused’s father, said he believes that his son may have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as an effect of his overseas tours. In 2010, his son served in Iraq and, according to his military records, he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014. He received a service medal for Global War on Terrorism.
The criminal complaint, which was filed in federal court on Monday, contends that hundreds of items referencing ISIS were discovered in Kang’s computer, as well as classified military documents. His computer was subjected to an FBI forensic search.
Soldier allegedly put money toward purchasing drone for ISIS
On Saturday, Klang is accused of pledging his loyalty to ISIS with an undercover FBI agent, contributing toward the purchase of a drone, he believed, for ISIS, and offering to train an undercover agent Kang thought was a member of ISIS.
Kang reportedly had a history of threatening to harm – or kill – other enlisted service members, according to law enforcement officials. In the federal complaint, it states that he also allegedly argued pro-ISIS viewpoints at work and while “on-post.” Due to his conduct, his security clearance was revoked in 2012, yet reinstated in 2013.
Serviceman reportedly open on pro-terrorist group beliefs
Klang was not secretive about his pro-ISIS stance, according to the federal complaint. He even relayed to the FBI informant in March that he researched the most painful and effective ways “people had been tortured.”
Kang wanted to torture the civilian who led to the loss of his air traffic controller’s license, according to the federal complaint. He reportedly stated that if he saw that person again, he would restrain the man and pour lye (“Drano”) in his eyes. The FBI’s source additionally said that Kang stated that “Hitler was right” and that the accused said he believed genocide, killing “Jews.”
Delacourt said Kang was under investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Army for more than a year. They worked closely with the Joint Terrorism Task Force to ensure the public’s safety, he said, during the investigation and until Kang’s arrest.