Not everyone serves in the U.S. military for the same reasons, and most of the time, that’s okay. For some, it’s a way to challenge and better themselves. Others see it as a way to travel the world. Even still, there are those who just feel a patriotic calling to serve. But when people disgrace themselves, the uniform, and our country, like in the case of Ethan Phelan Melzer, with violent, alternative motives, it’s an obvious problem. Fortunately, justice is being served as Ethan Melzer has been sentenced to 45 years for an attempt to kill U.S. service members, help terrorists, and transmit sensitive information about our nation’s defenses illegally. Uncover the details of this confounding tale below. Related: 4 Naval Officers Found Guilty After $35 Million Fraud in Fat Leonard Case

Who Is Ethan Melzer?

Ethan Melzer was a former Private in the U.S. Army, but in reality, he was a traitor and terrorist. Also known as Etil Reggad, former Private Ethan Melzer was actually a part of the Order of the Nine Angles (ONA or O9A), a neo-Nazi, Satanic group with ties to terrible crimes. This includes sexual crimes against children and terrorism. The group started in the 1960s and is still active today. Sadly, Ethan Melzer of Louisville, KY, would become a member of the neo-Nazi Satanist group which since its founding in the United Kingdom has spread throughout the world, partly due to the use of the Internet.

Order of the Nine Angles, Where Satanism and Jihad Collide

After a former U.S. Army Soldier was sentenced to 45 years in prison because he tried to betray his fellow Soldiers, questions are going to be asked. So, here we are, with a 24-year-old man who will spend most of his life behind bars because of his unthinkable actions. Ethan Melzer’s Army career would nosedive after it came out that an impending jihadist attack on his unit leading up to his deployment throughout Turkey was coming. Worst of all, Melzer had assisted in providing the O9A organization with sensitive information detailing the unit’s location, security measures, and movements. “Today’s sentence holds Mr. Melzer accountable for an egregious and shameful act of betrayal against his own military unit and his country. The Justice Department will use all available resources to disrupt and bring to justice those who would aid foreign terrorist organizations and use violence to harm our men and women in uniform or any American anywhere,” said the Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Matthew G. Olsen. Court documents would show that Melzer is a member of O9A, a group known for terrorism, Satanism, and the admiration of leaders such as Hitler and Bin Laden. One of the goals of O9A is to grow by infiltrating organizations like the military, to recruit new members, and commit acts of violence and sabotage in the meantime. “Ethan Melzer infiltrated the U.S. Army in service of a neo-Nazi, white supremacist, and jihadist group. He used his membership in the military to pursue an appalling goal: the brutal murder of his fellow U.S. service members in a carefully plotted ambush. By unlawfully disclosing his unit’s location, strength, and armaments to other O9A members and jihadists in furtherance of this ambush, Melzer traitorously sought to attack the very soldiers he was entrusted to protect,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams. Suggested Read: New Study Surfaces Detailing Racial Discrimination in the Military “Today’s sentence makes clear that Melzer’s brazen actions backfired and that this office, along with our partners in law enforcement and the military, will work tirelessly to bring traitors like Melzer to justice and to protect the safety and integrity of our armed services,” continued Williams. Life would change for Melzer after being deployed to Italy with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. It was here where propaganda from multiple extremist groups would inspire the heinous actions we’re now seeing the former Private brought to justice for. This would include O9A but also other groups like ISIS. Melzer would end up downloading videos of jihadist attacks on civilians and U.S. troops, and participating in online forums that furthered his radicalization. Becoming enthralled in this world, Melzer would become inspired to send sensitive information about his unit to a sub-group of O9A known as the "RapeWaffen Division." It would go even further, however, as he and his co-conspirators would actually deliver information to an alleged member of al Qaeda.

Ethan Melzer Is a Jarring Wake-Up Call

The violent far-right terrorist threat to the U.S. military is nothing new. If it was, perhaps Melzer would have been more successful, capable of delivering the additional sensitive information, such as real-time photos, to his would-be co-conspirators. No, these incidents are an unfortunate but notable threat to the U.S. military. But it’s a bit interesting that Satanic Nazis from the U.K. popped up in Italy to affect America with a mission in Turkey. The point here is that while not new, the growing reach of these groups is alarming. We continue to see an elevated presence of far-right terrorism, mantras, and ideology online and in person. These issues are threats to our country and its military because while we may be able to agree to disagree, even on something as ridiculous as what constitutes treating a human like a human, it’s another thing when acts of terrorism and treason are committed. If he was looking to serve a noble cause and improve the lives of his countrymen, Ethan Melzer could not have picked a better place to start. Sadly, he picked the worst path to end on and will not have to live with the weight of his failures behind a prison cell. Read Next: Here’s How the Armed Forces Are Eliminating Extremism in the Military