Soldier accused of aiding enemy had blemished past, FBI says

Wheeler Army Airfield soldier Ikaika Erik Kang admitted that he pledged his loyalty to a known Islamic State leader, made a training video for IS fighters and disclosed classified information following his arrest last July, according to federal court documents unsealed this week.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force says in the documents that Kang initially claimed that the classified information was old and no longer posed any harm to the United States, and that he thought he was helping a nongovernmental organization, not IS. That was before he was shown a video of himself pledging his loyalty to an IS leader.

U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway ordered the documents unsealed Monday. They became publicly available Tuesday.

Kang, 35, is scheduled to stand trial next month on four counts of attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Kang allegedly gave the classified documents, training video, military tactical equipment and ammunition to undercover FBI agents.

The unsealed documents were included in various search warrant applications. The warrants allowed the FBI to search Kang’s Waipahu home, the quarters in Fort Rucker, Ala., that he used when he trained there in 2016, his car, cellphone, computer and hard drives. The warrants also allowed the FBI to tap and track Kang’s car, cellphone and email accounts.

The FBI says Kang made his admissions after waiving his constitutional right against self-incrimination. Kang also told FBI agents that he became interested in IS in 2015 while researching the Muslim religion and wanted to help IS because he saw how ill-equipped its members were for fighting.

The documents portray Kang as antisocial and isolated.

The FBI says Kang has a documented history of antisocial behavior starting in 2011, when he threatened to kidnap, beat up and shoot his platoon sergeant and platoon leader while on deployment. He also argued pro-IS views while on the military installation and at work, the FBI says. As a result, Kang was demoted by the Army. He also had his security clearance revoked, but it was reinstated after he met certain requirements, including undergoing an Army mental health evaluation.

Years later the FBI says Kang was still angry for losing his air traffic controller’s license and told a confidential source if he saw the person responsible again, he would tie him down and pour Drano in his eyes.

The confidential source told the FBI that Kang watched hours of IS execution videos every day. He also claimed not to have any friends, but said if he did they would all be like him and would go out killing people. The FBI says Kang told the confidential source that he hated his entire family, wanted to stab his stepfather 100 times and said he once went to his parents’ or grandparents’ home with the intention of shooting all of them, including the kids, but decided against it for fear of getting caught.

The FBI says the Army referred Kang for investigation by the agency in August 2016 after it appeared that he was becoming radicalized.

Kang’s lawyer Birney Bervar could not be reached for comment.