US soldier, white supremacist group accused of conspiring to attack his own unit

A US military soldier gave classified information about American soldiers abroad to a white supremacist group in the United Kingdom, federal prosecutors alleged on Monday.

22-year-old Ethan Melzer is accused of attacking members of the militant group known as the Order of the Nine Angles, or O9A, in his own Army unit, providing sensitive details about its position, mobility, and security. Planned to do.

Melzer, of Louisville, Kentucky, is accused of conspiring to murder and murder American citizens. He was arrested on June 10 and now faces a prison sentence if found guilty.

According to court records, Melzer was accused of plotting a deadly attack on his fellow soldiers, which prosecutors called "a ghost cocktail of hate and torture ideology."

Melzer joined the military in 2018 and joined the O9A by 2019, prosecutors said, adding that the group had "anarchist, neo-fascist, neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic beliefs." Melzer used ISIS promotions, and a sword depicting the skull, "The Evil Tradition: Order of Nine Angles," depicts a skull mask - a familiar Neo-Nazi symbol - and an American berry from the military. . According to court records. The file was recovered by the FBI from an iCloud account operated by Melzer.

Last month, Melzer reportedly used an encrypted messaging app to assist in a large-scale accident on his U.S. Army unit after being deployed to Turkey.

"As reported, Ethan Melzer, a private man in the U.S. Army, is the enemy," the US military said. Acting New York New York Southern District Audrey Strauss said in a statement. "Mజlzer is accused of attempting to assassinate his own unit by illegally exposing his position, strength, and military to a neo-Nazi, anarchist, white supremacist group. "

According to court records, Melzer admitted his role in the conspiracy to attack and that he intended a planned attack to kill his fellow service members. The court stated that he had declared himself a traitor against the United States.

"Melzer has declared himself a traitor against the United States and has described his behavior as treasonous. We agree," said William F. Friedman, the FBI assistant director in charge of the Newton office. Sweeney Jr. said. Ad. "He withdrew his country and his unit, while at the same time allying himself with members of the neo-Nazi group O9A."