The U.S. Justice Department released the below
information:
Ikaika Erik Kang, 35, a Sergeant First Class
in the U.S. Army stationed at Schofield Barracks, pleaded guilty today in
federal court to four counts of attempting to provide material support to the
Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist
organization. Kang was indicted on terrorism charges on July 19,
2017. As part of a plea agreement reached with the United States, Kang
agreed to serve 25 years in prison and at least 20 years, and up to life, of
supervised release. Kang will be sentenced on Dec. 10, by Senior U.S.
District Judge Susan Oki Mollway. If Judge Mollway accepts the plea
agreement at that time, the 25-year term of imprisonment will be binding.
The announcement was made by
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney
Kenji M. Price for the District of Hawaii, and Special Agent in Charge Sean
Kaul of the FBI’s Honolulu Field Office.
“Kang swore to defend the United
States as a member of our military, but betrayed his country by swearing
allegiance to ISIS and attempting to provide material support to the foreign
terrorist organization,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers. “With
today’s plea, he will be held accountable for his crimes. I want to thank
all of the agents, analysts and prosecutors who are responsible for this case.”
“This Office will vigorously
prosecute anyone who attempts to provide material support to terrorists who
seek to spread fear and cause mayhem in our communities through senseless acts
of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Price. “The prosecutors and law
enforcement agencies who brought the defendant to justice in this case work
shoulder-to-shoulder, every day, promoting our national security interests and
keeping our communities safe.”
“This is the first case in the
State of Hawaii where someone was convicted of attempting to provide material
support to a designated foreign terrorist organization,” Special Agent in
Charge Kaul. “This should serve as reminder that even though we are 2,500
miles from the U.S. Mainland, these crimes can and do happen everywhere.
I would like to personally thank the United States Attorney’s Office, the
Unites States Army, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Honolulu
Police Department, and the entire Joint Terrorism Task Force Community here in
Hawaii for bringing this investigation to a successful conclusion. Today,
our community is a safer place due to their tireless
efforts.”
According to court documents and
information presented in court, Kang became sympathetic to ISIS by at least
early 2016. He regularly watched ISIS propaganda videos online, including
videos that depicted ISIS members violently executing civilian and military
victims. Kang made numerous statements in support of ISIS, expressed a
desire to join ISIS, and spoke approvingly about committing acts of
violence. At the time, Kang made these statements, he owned an
AR-15-style assault rifle and a pistol, both of which he kept at his residence
on Oahu. Kang was under ongoing physical surveillance by law enforcement
from the beginning of the investigation until the time of his eventual arrest.
In late June and early July of
2018, Kang met numerous times with undercover FBI agents who he believed had
connections to ISIS. He provided them with sensitive, non-public military
documents, some of which were classified at the SECRET level, which he intended
that they later provide to ISIS. The documents included, among other
things: classified air traffic control documents that describe call signs, aircraft
types, route points, directives, mission procedures, and radio frequencies; the
U.S. military’s “weapons file,” which describes all the armament capabilities
of the U.S. armed forces; details about a sensitive mobile airspace management
system used by the U.S. military; and documents containing personally
identifiable information of U.S. service members.
Kang later provided the
undercover agents with a commercially purchased small aerial drone, a military
chest rig, and other military-style clothing and gear. Kang described how
ISIS could operationally utilize the drone to track U.S. troop movements and
gain tactical advantage by evading American armored vehicles. Kang then
met two additional undercover FBI personnel, one who purported to be a
high-ranking ISIS leader, or “sheikh,” and another who played the role of an
ISIS fighter. Kang lead them in a hand-to-hand military combatives
training session using his weapons, in order to train the purported ISIS member
in fighting techniques. The sessions were video-recorded, with the
understanding that the video would be taken back to ISIS-controlled territory
and used to train other ISIS fighters in hand-to-hand combat and weapons
techniques.
On July 8, 2017, Kang swore an
oath of loyalty, known as “bayat,” to ISIS and its leader, Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi, in a ceremony conducted by the purported ISIS sheikh. After
the ceremony, Kang kissed the ISIS flag. Kang then said that he wanted to
get his rifle and go and fight; just go to downtown Honolulu and Waikiki strip
and start shooting. Kang was subsequently arrested and taken into
custody.
This case was investigated by the
Joint Terrorism Task Force in Honolulu; the FBI; and the U.S. Army, Criminal
Investigative Division, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth
M. Sorenson and Marc A. Wallenstein of the District of Hawaii, and Trial
Attorney Taryn M. Meeks of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism
Section.
