An active-duty soldier appeared in court Monday after a federal grand jury indicted him on multiple firearms charges, as well as lying on his security clearance application about his membership in an insurrectionist group, according to the Justice Department.
Kai Liam Nix, a 20-year-old soldier at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, also known as Kai Brazelton, was arrested last week and detained following the hearing Monday. According to court records, he’s set to appear in court again Thursday to determine whether he will be released and the conditions of his possible release.
A federal indictment claims Nix dealt firearms without a license and possessed and sold stolen firearms. It also alleges Nix lied on his security clearance application when he indicated he had never been a member of a group dedicated to using violence to overthrow the U.S. government.
“The statements and representations were false because as the defendant then and there knew, he had been a member of a group dedicated to the use of violence or force to overthrow the United States government and which engaged in activities to that end,” the indictment reads.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit advocacy organization, claimed Monday that Nix belonged to Patriot Front, a white supremacist group. The SPLC also claimed Nix ran a channel on Telegram that aimed to find and release the personal information of journalists, politicians and liberal activists, a practice known as doxxing.
Authorities with the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the case with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Department, the Justice Department said. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina and the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
This story was produced in partnership with Military Veterans in Journalism. Please send tips to MVJ-Tips@militarytimes.com.
Nikki Wentling covers disinformation and extremism for Military Times. She's reported on veterans and military communities for eight years and has also covered technology, politics, health care and crime. Her work has earned multiple honors from the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, the Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors and others.
