A soldier in the US Army has pleaded guilty to distributing bomb making instructions

A soldier in the US Army could face 20 years in prison after pleading guilty Monday to distributing bomb making instructions, according to a press release from the US Attorney’s Office in Kansas.

Jarrett William Smith, 24, distributed instructions for making explosives over social media while he was an active member of the military, a statement from US Attorney Stephen McAllister said.

“Smith pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing information related to explosives, destructive devices and weapons of mass destruction,” the release said.

He joined the Army in June 2017 and served as an infantry soldier trained in combat and tactical operations. In July 2019, Smith was transferred to Fort Riley.

During his time there, he gave out instructions on how to construct improvised explosive devices and shared on social media his desire to travel to Ukraine to fight with “a violent, far-right military group,” according to the release.

After receiving a tip about Smith’s online activity, an undercover FBI agent received specific instructions on making an explosive device and a recipe for creating improvised napalm from Smith, the release said.

Smith is scheduled to be sentenced May 18. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 on each count.