U.S. Army private admits plotting attack on military unit
By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. Army private from Kentucky has pleaded guilty to charges that he plotted to kill members of his unit in an organized attack. Ethan Phelan Melzer entered the plea Friday in Manhattan federal court. The 24-year-old Louisville, Kentucky, man is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 6 after he pleaded guilty to trying to murder U.S. military service members, attempting to provide support to terrorists and illegally transmitting national defense information. The three charges carry a potential maximum penalty of 45 years in prison. Authorities say Melzer was already a member of a radical violent group known as 09A even before joining the Army in 2018.
