That on or about July 8, 2 017, in the District of Hawaii, IKAIKA ERIK KANG, the Defendant, did knowingly attempt to provide 'material support or resources,' as that term is defined in Title 18 United States Code, Section 2339A(b), including property, that is, a GoPro Karma drone, a chest rig (which is a piece of military-style equipment worn. The latest case of Islamic radicals in uniform appeared this past Saturday, with the arrest of U.S. First Class Ikaika Kang in Hawaii on terrorism charges. Kang's radicalization began in 2011. Kang expressed radical Islamic intentions, including support for ISIS.
Sgt 1st Class Ikaika Kang
Federal investigators arrested an active duty U.S. soldier Saturday after he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS) and assisted undercover agents in what he presumed was equipping the terror group. Authorities arrested Ikaika Kang, a 34-year-old sergeant first class in the U.S. Army, in Honolulu, Hawaii. A 26-page affidavit revealed the Army suspected Kang was becoming radicalized in 2016 and asked the FBI to investigate. Army officials revoked Kang’s military clearance in 2012 when he made pro-Islamic State comments but reinstated it a year later, after he completed military requirements. The affidavit said Kang made combat training videos with undercover agents and believed the videos would be sent to the Middle East to help prepare ISIS soldiers to fight American forces. Prior to his arrest, Kang and an undercover agent split the $1,400 cost for a drone, Go-Pro camera, and related equipment. The FBI agents eventually arrested him after he pledged loyalty to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and said he wanted to “take his rifle, his magazines, and kill ‘a bunch of people.’” Paul Delacourt, the FBI agent heading the Hawaii bureau, said Kang gave some military documents to people he thought would send them to ISIS, but they never did. Delacourt also claimed Kang was a lone actor not affiliated with anyone else who poses a threat. Kang enlisted in the Army in December 2001 and served in South Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
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Onize Ohikere
Ikaika Erik Kang
Onize is WORLD's Africa reporter. She is a World Journalism Institute graduate and earned a journalism degree from Minnesota State University-Moorhead. Onize resides in Abuja, Nigeria. Follow her on Twitter @onize_ohiks.
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Ikaika Kang Nationality Photo
A U.S. Army sergeant in Hawaii pleaded guilty Wednesday to providing secret military information and other forms of support to undercover agents he believed belonged to Islamic State (ISIS). Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang admitted to four counts of aiding and assisting a known terror organization.
FBI agents arrested him in November after he pledged loyalty to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The FBI said he wanted to “take his rifle, his magazines, and kill ‘a bunch of people.’” Assistant U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson said the FBI began investigating Kang in August 2016 after he began sympathizing with ISIS earlier in the year. Sorenson said Kang provided the undercover agents with the personal information of several U.S. service members, details on a mobile airspace management system, and information on the U.S. military’s weapons file. He also recorded training videos that he expected ISIS members in the Middle East to use and provided a drone meant to track U.S. troops.
Kang enlisted in the Army in December 2001 and served in South Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan. His sentencing is set for Dec. 10, where he will likely receive 25 years in prison.
Ikaika Kang Nationality Name
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Onize is WORLD's Africa reporter. She is a World Journalism Institute graduate and earned a journalism degree from Minnesota State University-Moorhead. Onize resides in Abuja, Nigeria. Follow her on Twitter @onize_ohiks.