The Latest on a Hawaii-based soldier being arrested on terrorism charges (all times local) :
HONOLULU (AP) – The Latest on a Hawaii-based soldier being arrested on terrorism charges (all times local) :
12 p.m.
A retired Army judge and prosecutor says he’s perplexed that the Army allowed Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika (ee-ky-kah) Kang to remain a soldier even after he made pro-Islamic State group comments.
But retired Col. Gregory Gross says the Army may have decided Kang was just mouthing off and wasn’t a threat. The Army later referred Kang’s case to the FBI after it appeared the soldier was being radicalized.
Gross served as the initial judge in the court martial of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 in a shooting at Fort Hood, Texas in 2009.
Gross said Tuesday he’s concerned by the similarities between Kang’s and Hasan’s cases.
The FBI arrested Kang in Hawaii over the weekend on terrorism charges after he declared allegiance to Islamic State and said he wanted to kill “a bunch of people.”
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4: 09 a.m.
The father of a U. S. soldier arrested on terrorism charges says his son may have post-traumatic stress disorder.
Authorities say Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang, 34 pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and said he wanted to “kill a bunch of people.”
Clifford Kang tells KHON-TV that he became concerned after his son’s return from Afghanistan and Iraq. He says he told his son “maybe he had PTSD.”
Kang says his son had a Quran and had even given him one.
The FBI arrested Kang, in Hawaii over the weekend after a yearlong investigation. He made an initial appearance Monday in federal court.
Kang’s court-appointed defense attorney, Birney Bervar, said it appears his client may suffer from service-related mental health issues of which the government was aware but neglected to treat.
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11: 10 p.m.
An active duty U. S. soldier is in custody on terrorism charges after authorities say he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and said he wanted to “kill a bunch of people.”
The FBI arrested Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika (ee-ky-kah) Kang in a suburb of Honolulu over the weekend after a yearlong investigation.
Kang made an initial appearance in court Monday.
A 26-page affidavit from an FBI Special Agent filed in court Monday detailed how Kang thought he was dealing with people working for Islamic State but who were actually undercover agents.
Kang’s defense attorney says it appears his 34-year-old client may suffer from service-related mental health issues of which the government was aware but neglected to treat. Lawyer Birney Bervar declined to elaborate.
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