US soldier supported Islamic State for six years but remained on active duty

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Ikaika Kang reportedly pledged support for the Islamic State Group as early as 2011, but he remained on active duty in the US Army until recently. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:06am, 12 Jul 2017Updated: 10:08pm, 12 Jul 2017

A US soldier who was recently arrested on terrorism charges expressed support for the Islamic State group as early as 2011, but remained in the Army for years while the military and the FBI investigated to determine whether he posed a threat, authorities said.

Sergeant 1st Class Ikaika Kang was taken into custody over the weekend after the 34-year-old veteran of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan declared his loyalty to the terrorist group and exclaimed that he wanted to “kill a bunch of people,” according to authorities.

The case highlights the challenges investigators face with protecting the public from a potentially dangerous actor on one hand and gathering sufficient evidence to enable prosecution on the other.

Kang is on record making pro-Islamic State comments and threatening to hurt or kill other service members back in 2011, according to an FBI affidavit filed Monday in federal court.

Red evidence tape covers part of the door leading to the condo where Ikaika Kang lives in Waipahu, Hawaii. Photo: AP

The Army revoked his security clearance in 2012, but gave it back to him the following year. Last year, the Army called the FBI when it “appeared that Kang was becoming radicalised,” the affidavit said.

Retired Army judge and prosecutor Colpnel Gregory Gross said he was perplexed that the Army allowed Kang to remain a soldier even after his favourable comments toward the Islamic State group.