A U.S. soldier was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempting to aid the terrorist group ISIS in ambushing his fellow soldiers in the Middle East, during conversations where he believed he was talking to a terrorist.
Cole Bridges (24) of Stow, Ohio, was sentenced after nearly a five-hour proceeding in federal court in Manhattan where he surprisingly asked for the maximum sentence of 40 years. Bridges pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in June 2023.
“Honestly, I believe I deserve the maximum sentence,” Bridges told Judge Lewis J. Liman. “I know what I did was wrong,” he said, adding that he would carry “regret for the rest of my life.”
Liman cited numerous facts that he said showed Bridges was “not a hardened criminal” and said he had no actual communication with the Islamic State organization.
Bridges, also known as Cole Gonzales, was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart in Georgia, as a cavalry scout at the time of the crime, the Justice Department said. He joined the military in September 2019.
According to court documents, about a year before joining the military, Bridges began researching and consuming online propaganda promoting jihadists and their violent ideology, and began expressing his support for ISIS and jihad on social media.
Approximately a year into his service, Bridges began communicating with an FBI online confidential source (OCS) who posed as an ISIS supporter in contact with ISIS fighters in the Middle East. During these communications, Bridges expressed his frustration with the U.S. military and a desire to help ISIS, according to court documents.
Bridges provided training and guidance to alleged ISIS fighters who were planning attacks, including advice on potential targets in New York City. He also provided the OCS with portions of U.S. military training manuals and instructions on military combat tactics, with the understanding that these materials would be used by ISIS to plan future attacks.
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Source: Fox News
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