Hawaii Soldier ISIS Plot: Not Guilty Plea Entered

HONOLULU, HI — A U.S. Army soldier based in Hawaii pleaded not guilty to charges of trying to support the Islamic State group.

A grand jury indicted Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang last week on four counts of attempting to provide material support to the group. He was arraigned Monday in federal court in Honolulu.

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. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Kang may suffer from service-related mental health issues that the government was aware of but neglected to treat, his defense attorney, Birney Bervar has said.

Bervar is seeking a mental health evaluation for Kang, whose trial was set for September.

When Kang met with the undercover agents he thought were from the Islamic State group at a home in Honolulu, he pledged allegiance to the group and kissed an Islamic State flag, according to court documents.

"Kang's military training, weapons abilities and personal combat skills, coupled with his strong stated desire to kill people in the name of Islamic State, makes him one of the more dangerous criminal defendants to have been charged in this judicial district," prosecutors wrote in a motion asking that be held without bail.

A judge previously granted the request for no bail.

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER, Associated Press

Photo credit: Bruce Asato/The Star-Advertiser via AP