US soldier pleads not guilty to support for Islamic State
HONOLULU — A U.S. Army soldier based in Hawaii pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of attempting to support the Islamic State group.
Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang was arraigned in federal court in Honolulu after a grand jury indicted him last week on four counts of attempting to provide material support to the group.
The indictment and an FBI affidavit filed previously allege that Kang met with undercover agents he believed were part of the Islamic State group. He allegedly provided them with classified military information, a drone, military equipment and training in combat fighting.
Kang may suffer from service-related mental health issues that the government was aware of but neglected to treat, his defence attorney, Birney Bervar has said.