A Hawaiian US soldier swore allegiance to ISIS, kissed their flag, and spoke of carrying out a mass shooting in Honolulu, prosecutors say
- A US soldier pledged himself to ISIS, kissed their flag, and spoke of doing a mass shooting in Honolulu, prosecutors said.
- Ikaika Kang, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, pleaded guilty in August to "four counts of supplying material to a foreign terror organization."
- He was caught by undercover FBI agents posing as ISIS members on July 8, 2017, prosecutors say.
- He is expected to be sentenced on Thursday and will likely get 25 years for agreeing to plead guilty.
A Hawaiian US soldier swore allegiance to ISIS, kissed their flag, and had a plan to go down to "Honolulu and Waikiki strip and start shooting," prosecutors say.
Sergent Ikaika Erik Kang, from the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Honolulu, met with undercover FBI agents on July 8, 2017, and believed they were Islamic State members, the Associated Press (AP) reported Assistant US Attorney Ken Sorensen as saying.
Sorensen said Kang pledged his loyalty in Arabic and English, and kissed an ISIS flag given to him by a FBI agent pretending to be an ISIS official.
Kang also said he would get his rifle and "just go to downtown Honolulu and Waikiki strip and start shooting," prosecutors claim.
In August 2017, Kang pleaded guilty to four counts of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization - including handing over US military drone, secret documents, the AP said.
The documents he is accused of leaking include a military weapons file and material which contains personal information about US service members, prosecutor Ken Sorensen said.
He also gave away radio call signs, mission procedures and radio frequencies, Sorensen said. He was arrested on July 8.
Kang was a decorated soldier with deployments to Afghanistan in 2013 and Iraq in 2011, CBS reported, receiving the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal in the course of his duties.
The FBI Special Agent in Charge, Paul D. Delacourt, told Fox News in July 2017 that the US Army and FBI had been investigating Kang for more than a year.
Kang's lawyer, Birney Bervar, said before the guilty plea that Kang may suffer from "service-related mental health issues of which the government was aware but neglected to treat," the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Kang's father also told Honolulu TV station KHON that his son may have post-traumatic stress disorder, AP said.
As Kang pleaded guilty, prosecutors said they won't charge him with any other crimes, like violating the espionage act, AP said.
AP also report he's expected to receive a 25-year sentence as part of the plea agreement.