A U.S. Army private accused of plotting a deadly attack on his own military unit has pleaded not guilty to charges he shared secret infor...
A U.S. Army private accused of plotting a deadly attack on his own military unit has pleaded not guilty to charges he shared secret information about their movements with a satanic neo-Nazi group.
Ethan Melzer, 22, entered his plea on Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in Manhattan, at a hearing conducted electronically.
The U.S. Department of Justice accused Melzer of using an encrypted app to send his unit's planned movements to members of the Order of Nine Angles ('O9A'), which it described as 'an occult-based neo-Nazi and white supremacist group,' and a related group called the 'RapeWaffen Division.'
This photo provided by the Department of Justice seized from an iCloud account belonging to U.S. Army Pvt. Ethan Melzer displays personal effects, including paraphernalia associated with the extremist group Order of the Nine Angles
Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss called Melzer 'the enemy within,' and prosecutors said the Louisville, Kentucky, resident hoped to cause mass casualties through what he and co-conspirators labeled a 'jihadi attack.'
'Melzer was motivated by racism and hatred as he attempted to carry out this ultimate act of betrayal,' Strauss said.
Melzer enlisted in the Army in 2018, joined O9A in 2019, and began planning the attack in April after learning of a new foreign deployment for his unit, prosecutors said.
Federal prosecutors allege that on or around May 23, Melzer used an encrypted messaging app to 'solicit assistance for a mass casualty attack on his US Army unit once it deployed to Turkey.'
Melzer is alleged to have 'provided confidential and sensitive information to a user of the app about his unit's size, anticipated travel routes in Turkey, its weaponry, and its defensive capabilities.
Federal prosecutors say Melzer understood that this information would be used to 'facilitate' a 'mass casualty attack' on the unit.
Melzer is alleged to have used a username, 'Etil Reggad,' in his communications with the 'anarchist, neo-fascist, neo-Nazi, and anti-Semitic' O9A.
According to the federal government, O9A has expressed extremist views including one which claims Adolf Hitler 'was sent by our gods to guide us to greatness' and that the 'story of the Jewish 'holocaust' is a lie to keep our race in chains and express our desire to see the truth revealed.'
The government also says O9A has also expressed support for the views of Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden as well as backing for his organization's terrorist attacks including the bombing of American embassies in Africa, the attack on the USS Cole, and the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Melzer's alleged plot was foiled in late May, and he was arrested on June 10, they added.
Federal prosecutors said they obtained messages sent by Melzer on his phone in April in which he expressed a desire not to 'end up' like a US soldier who was arrested for being affiliated with a neo-Nazi group.
Melzer, who was stationed in Vicenza, Italy, with his unit, is alleged to have communicated with a co-conspirator on or around May 17.
The co-conspirator asked Melzer if the unit had deployed to Turkey because another co-conspirator 'needs to know' since he 'has plans inshallah my brother, allahu akbar.'
'Allahu akbar' means 'God is great' in Arabic, and 'inshallah' translates to 'God willing'.
The co-conspirator then asked Melzer: 'Are we literally organizing a jihadi attack.'
To which Melzer replied: 'Yes probably...As long as I get the info I need to give you all.'
The co-conspirator then asked Melzer if he was worried about 'gett[ing] shot' in the attack on his unit.
'Who gives a f***...The after effects of a convoy getting attacked would cover it...It would be another war...I would've died successfully...Cause if another 10 year war in the Middle East would definitely leave a mark.'
A confidential informant communicated with Melzer on or around May 23.
Melzer messaged the source, asking: 'I mean if you know some kinder weird Italian groups that would be willing to do something to stir something up I wouldn't mind.'
To which the source replied: 'Stir something up with what? I'm confused you said you were in Turkey in the military.'
United States military personnel are seen above in Adana, Turkey, in December 2015. A US Army soldier confessed to providing details about his unit's troop movements and weaponry to extremists who were plotting an attack on American servicemembers in Turkey, federal prosecutors say but Ethan Melzer, 22, has pleaded not guilty to charges he is facing
Melzer replied that he was 'stationed in Vicenza' and that he was 'going to Turkey for a deployment.'
When the confidential source asked Melzer what he meant by 'stirring up,' Melzer replied: 'Ok let me be as direct as possible...IF YOU KNOW ANYONE IN TURKEY TELL THEM THIS INFO there.'
Melzer was then asked what information he was referring to, to which Melzer replied: 'that you know that there is a convoy coming through Turkey soon and date and time will be given soon. Goddamn.'
The federal government alleges that the 'convoy' was Melzer's unit.
It's common for members of Order of Nine Angles to pose at the sites of notorious rapes and murders, and to celebrate their perpetrators
In another text message intercepted by the government, Melzer claimed that he 'used to be cool with a couple IS members who lived in France' and that '3 of them are dead now and the last 2 I've lost contact with lately.'
The federal government alleges that 'IS' stands for Islamic State, also known as ISIS.
The confidential source then wrote to Melzer: 'So for the sake of clarity (and because I'm an idiot so I want to make sure I'm not misunderstanding)—you currently stationed in Vicenza with U.S. army will be deployed to Turkey soon.
'A 'convoy' (your own convoy?) will be going through Turkey, and on Monday you'll be receiving the date and time the convoy will be going through Turkey.
'And you're going to dm me said time and date so that I can pass it along to any jihadis in Turkey. Right?
'And [redacted] you're going to do the same with your 'hajis' (lol).'
Melzer replied: '[y]ou just gotta understand that currently I am risking my literal free life to give you all this.'
He also wrote that he was 'expecting results.'
Ethan Melzer, 22 a private assigned to 1st Battalion, 503rd Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade stationed in Vicenza, Italy. The garrison is pictured here
When told that arranging an attack on his convoy could jeopardize his life, Melzer wrote: 'Your kidding right. If we were to trigger this the right way the amount of s*** this would cause would cover it.
'My life would be absolutely meaningless in the amount of s*** it would cause after.
'Ok that sounds retarded but really it's true.'
Melzer also allegedly told his co-conspirators information about his unit's weaponry and defensive capabilities. He said that his unit lacked firearms including machine guns, grenade launchers, and anti-tank weapons.
The only weapons his unit was said to be armed with were M4 assault rifles, according to investigators.
William F. Sweeney Jr., head of the FBI's New York office, said: 'Melzer declared himself to be a traitor against the United States, and described his own conduct as tantamount to treason. We agree.'
Melzer is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, pictured
Federal public defenders representing Melzer did not immediately respond to requests for comment after the hearing.
Melzer is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.
Prosecutors said Melzer admitted his role in plotting an attack in a voluntary May 30 interview with military investigators and the FBI.
Melzer said in that interview he intended to cause the deaths of as many fellow service members as possible, declared himself a traitor against the United States and likened his conduct to treason, prosecutors said.
The defendant faces six charges, including conspiring to murder U.S. nationals and conspiring to murder U.S. military personnel, each of which carries a maximum life sentence, and providing material support to terrorists.
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