Fort Riley has a new black mark on its record: Jarrett William Smith, 24, a former Army infantryman stationed there, was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison for spreading detailed instructions on building improvised explosive devices and napalm.
The Kansas native, once trained in combat and tactical operations, pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing information related to explosives and weapons of mass destruction. After serving his prison term, Smith will face three years of supervised release under strict federal oversight.
Smith enlisted June 12, 2017, and was assigned to Fort Riley, Kansas, on July 8, 2019. His military credentials gave him access to knowledge never meant for public circulation — knowledge he allegedly began funneling through social media channels almost immediately.
Federal investigators say Smith didn’t just talk about violence — he facilitated it. On September 20, 2019, he transmitted a detailed bomb-making guide to an FBI confidential source, including a precise recipe for homemade napalm, capable of causing mass harm and destruction.
More disturbingly, Smith openly discussed his desire to travel to Ukraine and fight alongside a violent, far-right paramilitary faction. Those digital footprints, captured during an undercover operation, became key evidence in a growing federal effort to monitor extremists within military ranks.
U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister praised the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Mattivi for dismantling the threat before it could ignite. “This wasn’t hypothetical,” McAllister said. “It was preparation for violence.” Now, Smith sits behind bars — a soldier turned domestic threat, undone by his own words.
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