Columbia man indicted for trying to aid ISIS

The United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri announced that Robert Lorenzo Hester, Jr ., 25, of Columbia, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. today.

Hester was indicted for his role in making preparations to launch a terrorist attack with persons he believed were members of ISIS, but who were actually undercover law enforcement agents.

Hester, who was the sole subject of this undercover investigation, remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Feb. 24. Hester is a U.S. citizen who was born in Missouri. He was enlisted in the U.S. Army for less than a year, receiving a general discharge from service in mid-2013.