NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A U.S. soldier has been arrested after he allegedly discussed plans to bomb a major news network, as well as sharing bomb-making instructions online and planning to travel to Ukraine to fight with Azov Battalion, a violent, far-right group, the Justice Department announced Monday afternoon.
The soldier -- identified as Jarrett William Smith of Fort Riley, Kansas -- also suggested targeting Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke.
Smith, a private first class infantry soldier who joined the army in June 2017, was charged with one count of distributing information related to explosives and weapons of mass destruction.
According to an FBI investigator's affidavit, Smith said on Facebook that he was interested in traveling to the Ukraine to fight with the paramilitary group Azov Batallion.
During a Facebook chat, Smith offered to teach other Facebook users to make cell phone explosive devices "in the style of the Afghans," the Justice Department said in a news release.
On Aug. 19, 2019, Smith told an undercover investigator he was looking for "radicals" like himself. Smith talked about killing members of Antifa and destroying nearby cell towers or a local news station.
On Aug. 21, Smith told an undercover investigator about how to make a vehicle bomb. When the investigator commented that most of the components were household items, Smith said: "Making AK47s out of expensive parts is cool, but imagine if you will if you were going to Walmart instead of a gun store to buy weapons."
Smith also described in detail to the undercover investigator how to build a bomb that could be triggered by calling a cell phone.
"Be very careful with the fully armed device," Smith warned the investigator.
If convicted, Smith could face up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
