- Title: U.S. Army soldier arrested in Hawaii on terrorism charges
- Date: 11th July 2017
- Summary: HONOLULU, HAWAII, UNITED STATES (JULY 10, 2017) (REUTERS) FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONS (FBI) SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE PAUL DELACOURT WALKING OUT OF COURT BUILDING (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, FBI, PAUL DELACOURT, SAYING: "The complaint alleges that the material support included providing military documents to persons he believed would pass them to ISIS. To be involved in the purchase of a drone with the intent that it would be provided to ISIS, providing combative training to someone he believed was affiliated with ISIS. In addition, Kang pledged "bayat", which is a loyalty pledge to ISIS. Kang was arrested by FBI SWAT based on probable cause that he committed material support to terrorism because he had sworn the "bayat" and because she had shown an increased inclination to violence."
- Embargoed: 25th July 2017 04:56
- Keywords: U.S. Army soldier court arrest ISIS IS Islamic State terrorism charges
- Location: HONOLULU, HAWAII, UNITED STATES
- City: HONOLULU, HAWAII, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
- Reuters ID: LVA0036P9UM2V
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A U.S. Army sergeant who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and is now stationed in Hawaii has been arrested on charges of providing material support to Islamic State extremists, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Monday (July 10).
Ikaika Kang, 34, assigned to the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, had been under investigation by the Army and FBI for more than a year and was taken into custody by FBI agents on Saturday, according to a bureau statement provided to Reuters.
According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Honolulu, Kang has sworn allegiance to Islamic State, also known as ISIS, the militant group that seized large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq for a self-proclaimed caliphate. He is also accused of attempting to provide military documents and training to the group, the FBI said in the statement.
Federal authorities believe that Kang, who was assigned to the Army's Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu, was a "lone actor" who had no known associations with anyone who might pose a threat to Hawaii, the FBI said. Kang, an air traffic control specialist who attained the rank of sergeant first class, served three overseas tours of duty - one each in South Korea (2002-03), Iraq (2010-11) and Afghanistan (2013-14), according to his Army service record. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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