Former U.S. Army soldier Cole Bridges was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Friday for attempting to provide support to the Islamic State (ISIS) and plotting attacks on U.S. soldiers, the Department of Justice announced. Bridges, 24, from Stow, Ohio, pleaded guilty in 2023 to charges of attempting to aid a foreign terrorist organization and attempting to murder U.S. service members.
Bridges, who joined the Army in September 2019, was stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia, as a cavalry scout with the Third Infantry Division. Prosecutors said he began consuming ISIS propaganda and engaging in pro-jihadist activity online before joining the military. In 2020, Bridges started communicating with an undercover FBI agent posing as an ISIS supporter.
During these communications, Bridges expressed his anger with the U.S. military and shared tactical advice with the undercover agent, believing the information would help ISIS fighters plan attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East. He provided military training materials, outlined attack strategies, and even sent a video of himself in U.S. Army gear, pledging support to ISIS.
In December 2020, Bridges supplied detailed instructions on how to ambush U.S. troops and fortify ISIS encampments with explosives.
Bridges was arrested in January 2021 following a lengthy investigation by the FBI and military intelligence agencies. In addition to his 14-year prison sentence, he will serve 10 years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Damien Williams emphasized the seriousness of Bridges’ actions, stating, “This sentence sends a clear message: we will hold accountable anyone who seeks to harm our military personnel, especially those from within our ranks.”
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