Hawai‘i Soldier Indicted for Attempted Support of ISIS

A Waipahu man was indicted by a federal grand jury for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham or ISIS.

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Ikaika Erik Kang, 34, an Army sergeant first class stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaiʻi, was arrested by the FBI on terrorism charges on July 8, 2017, and was indicted on July 19, 2017.

Kang was charged with four counts of attempting to provide material support to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization, based on events that occurred in Hawaiʻi between June 21 and July 8.

The indictment and an earlier criminal complaint allege that Kang met with undercover agents of the FBI whom he believed to be affiliated with ISIS, and provided military information, some of which was classified by the United States at the SECRET level.

Kang is also charged with providing property (a drone and military clothing and equipment) and training (instruction on combat techniques and weapons training which was videotaped for future use by ISIS) to undercover agents whom he believed to be affiliated with ISIS.

Kang will appear in court on Monday, July 24, 2017, for an arraignment and plea on the charges, at which time a trial date will be scheduled.

Elliot Enoki, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Hawaiʻi, and Dana Boente, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, announced that the indictment charges today.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted of the charges, Kang faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine for each count.

The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress. If convicted of any offense, the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Army, Criminal Investigation Division, and is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorneys Ken Sorenson and Marc Wallenstein, and Trial Attorney Taryn Meeks of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.