A United States soldier was sentenced Friday to 14 years in jail for trying to assist the Islamic State murder soldiers.
The sentencing of Cole Bridges, 24, followed his 14 June 2023 guilty plea to terrorism charges.
Bridges signed up with the army some 5 years earlier, and was appointed as a cavalry scout in the 3rd infantry department based in Fort Stewart, Georgia. Before Bridges ended up being a soldier, nevertheless, he began investigating and taking in pro-terrorist propaganda– and voiced his assistance for IS and jihad on social networks, Manhattan federal district attorneys stated.
Around October 2020, Bridges began interacting online with somebody whom he thought was an IS advocate. This individual was in fact an FBI undercover staff member, authorities stated.
Bridges informed the concealed operative that he was annoyed with the United States militaries and wished to assist IS. He then provided “training and assistance to supposed Isis fighters who were preparing attacks, consisting of guidance about prospective targets in New York City”, according to a news release on his sentencing.
Bridges likewise offered parts of a United States army training handbook, in addition to info on fight strategies, to the undercover worker. He did so “with the understanding that the products would be utilized by Isis in future attack preparation”.
In December 2020, Bridges began offering the hidden personnel directions so that the supposed IS militants would understand how target United States forces in the Middle East. Bridges likewise shared assistance on the very best method to safeguard an IS fortress in a quote to attack United States unique forces, district attorneys stated.
This guidance consisted of how to wire some structures with dynamites, to eliminate soldiers. Early the next year, Bridges provided the undercover worker a video of himself using his military body armor “standing in front of a flag typically utilized by Isis fighters and making a gesture symbolic of assistance for