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Hawaii Army soldier thought 9/11 was false flag attack

In this Monday, July 10, 2017 photo, Clifford Kang, father of soldier Ikaika E. Kang, poses with photo of his son in Kailua, Hawaii. Ikaika E. Kang, an active-duty U.S. soldier, was arrested over the weekend on terrorism charges that accuse him of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group and saying he wanted to "kill a bunch of people." (Bruce Asato/The Star-Advertiser via AP) In this Monday, July 10, 2017 photo, Clifford Kang, father of soldier Ikaika E. Kang, poses with photo of his son in Kailua, Hawaii. Ikaika E. Kang, an active-duty U.S. soldier, was arrested over the weekend on terrorism charges that accuse him of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group and saying he wanted to "kill a bunch of people." (Bruce Asato/The Star-Advertiser via AP)

By Associated Press July 13, 2017 1 min read

HONOLULU (AP) – A former bunk mate of a U.S. soldier accused of pledging loyalty to the Islamic state group says they debated conspiracy theories.

Dustin Lyles says Army Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika (ee-ky-kah) Kang believed the moon landing was faked, questioned the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and thought the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were an inside job coordinated by the U.S. government.

Kang is scheduled to appear in federal court in Honolulu Thursday for a detention hearing.

Lyles tells The Associated Press the terrorism charges against Kang come as a shock. He says he never heard Kang express support for the enemy.

Lyles is medically retired from the Army and says they bunked together for a month in 2013.

Kang’s lawyer says that Kang suffers from service-related mental health issues.