NEW YORK (ChatnewsTV) — U.S. Army Private First Class Cole Bridges, also known as Cole Gonzales, was sentenced to 168 months in prison for attempting to provide material support to ISIS and plotting to murder U.S. service members in the Middle East, according to federal prosecutors. Bridges, 24, of Stow, Ohio, was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release following his prison term.
Bridges pleaded guilty to terrorism charges on June 14, 2023. Prosecutors said that while serving as a cavalry scout with the Third Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia, Bridges secretly supported ISIS and shared tactical guidance with individuals he believed to be ISIS fighters planning attacks on U.S. forces.
According to court documents, Bridges began to consume online jihadist propaganda before enlisting in the Army in 2019. By October 2020, he was in contact with an undercover FBI employee posing as an ISIS supporter. Bridges expressed frustration with the U.S. military and provided the FBI operative with detailed instructions for attacking U.S. troops, including sharing Army training materials and tactics.
In one instance, Bridges diagrammed military maneuvers to maximize the effectiveness of attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East. He also advised on how to fortify ISIS positions to ambush U.S. Special Forces, even suggesting wiring buildings with explosives. In January 2021, Bridges sent a video of himself in U.S. Army body armor standing before an ISIS flag and made a gesture symbolizing his support for the terrorist group.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division stated, “Bridges betrayed his oath as a U.S. soldier to serve his country by aligning himself with ISIS and sharing sensitive military information.”
The FBI’s Washington, Atlanta, and Cleveland field offices led the investigation with assistance from the U.S. Army Counterintelligence and other military units.
