U.S. Army Soldier Pleads Guilty to Terrorism Charges for Attempting to Help ISIS Conduct Deadly Ambush on U.S. Troops

<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br &sol;>&NewLine; Wednesday&comma; June 14&comma; 2023<br &sol;>&NewLine; U&period;S&period; Army Soldier Pleads Guilty to Terrorism Charges for Attempting to Help ISIS Conduct Deadly Ambush on U&period;S&period; Troops<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>U&period;S&period; Army Private First-Class Cole Bridges Provided Tactical Guidance in Attempt to Help ISIS Attack and Murder U&period;S&period; Service Members in the Middle East<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<div class&equals;"mh-content-ad"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js&quest;client&equals;ca-pub-9162800720558968"&NewLine; crossorigin&equals;"anonymous"><&sol;script>&NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle"&NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block&semi; text-align&colon;center&semi;"&NewLine; data-ad-layout&equals;"in-article"&NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"fluid"&NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-9162800720558968"&NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1081854981"><&sol;ins>&NewLine;<script>&NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi;&NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>An Ohio man today pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and attempting to murder U&period;S&period; <a class&equals;"wpil&lowbar;keyword&lowbar;link" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;fraudswatch&period;com&sol;category&sol;military-scammer&sol;amp&sol;" title&equals;"military" data-wpil-keyword-link&equals;"linked" data-wpil-monitor-id&equals;"412">military<&sol;a> service members based on his efforts to help the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham &lpar;ISIS&rpar; to attack and kill U&period;S&period; soldiers in the Middle East&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Cole Bridges&comma; aka Cole Gonzales&comma; 22&comma; of Stow&comma; pleaded guilty before U&period;S&period; District Judge Lewis J&period; Liman&period; According to court documents&comma; Bridges joined the U&period;S&period; Army in approximately September 2019 and was assigned as a cavalry scout in the Third Infantry Division based in Fort Stewart&comma; Georgia&period; Beginning in at least 2019&comma; Bridges began researching and consuming online propaganda promoting jihadists and their violent ideology&period; Bridges also expressed his support for ISIS and jihad on social media&period; In or about October 2020&comma; Bridges began communicating with an FBI online covert employee &lpar;the OCE&rpar;&comma; who was posing as an ISIS supporter in contact with ISIS fighters in the Middle East&period; During these communications&comma; Bridges expressed his frustration with the U&period;S&period; military and his desire to aid ISIS&period; Bridges then provided training and guidance to purported ISIS fighters who were planning attacks&comma; including advice about potential targets in New York City&period; Bridges also provided the OCE with portions of a U&period;S&period; Army training manual and guidance about military combat tactics&comma; for use by ISIS&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In or about December 2020&comma; Bridges began to supply the OCE with instructions for the purported ISIS fighters on how to attack U&period;S&period; forces in the Middle East&period; Among other things&comma; Bridges diagrammed specific military maneuvers intended to help ISIS fighters maximize the lethality of attacks on U&period;S&period; troops&period; Bridges further provided advice about the best way to fortify an ISIS encampment to repel an attack by U&period;S&period; Special Forces&comma; including by wiring certain buildings with explosives to kill the U&period;S&period; troops&period; Then&comma; in January 2021&comma; Bridges provided the OCE with a video of himself in his U&period;S&period; Army body armor standing in front of a flag often used by ISIS fighters and making a gesture symbolic of support for ISIS&period; Approximately a week later&comma; Bridges sent a second video in which Bridges&comma; using a voice manipulator&comma; narrated a propaganda speech in support of the anticipated ambush by ISIS on U&period;S&period; troops&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Attempting to provide material support to ISIS carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison&comma; and attempting to murder U&period;S&period; military service members carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison&period; Bridges is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov&period; 2&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Assistant Attorney General Matthew G&period; Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division&comma; U&period;S&period; Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York and Assistant Director Robert R&period; Wells of the FBI Counterterrorism Division made the announcement&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force&comma; which primarily consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI&comma; the New York City Police Department&comma; and over 50 other federal&comma; state and local agencies&comma; is investigating the case&period; The U&period;S&period; Army Counterintelligence&comma; the FBI Washington Field Office&comma; the FBI Atlanta Field Office and its Savannah Resident Agency&comma; the FBI Cleveland Field Office&comma; the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division&comma; the U&period;S&period; Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia&comma; the Air Force Office of Special Investigations&comma; U&period;S&period; Army Criminal Investigation Command and the U&period;S&period; Army Third Infantry Division provided valuable assistance&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Assistant U&period;S&period; Attorneys Sam Adelsberg and Matthew Hellman for the Southern District of New York and Trial Attorney Michael Dittoe of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p> Topic&lpar;s&rpar;&colon; CounterterrorismComponent&lpar;s&rpar;&colon; <a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;fbi&period;gov&sol;" rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" >Federal Bureau of Investigation &lpar;FBI&rpar;<&sol;a><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;justice&period;gov&sol;nsd" rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" >National Security Division &lpar;NSD&rpar;<&sol;a><a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;justice&period;gov&sol;usao-sdny" rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" >USAO &&num;8211&semi; New York&comma; Southern<&sol;a>Press Release Number&colon; 23-664 <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p> Updated June 14&comma; 2023<a href&equals;https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;justice&period;gov&sol;opa&sol;pr&sol;us-army-soldier-pleads-guilty-terrorism-charges-attempting-help-isis-conduct-deadly-ambush-us> Original Article <&sol;a><&sol;p>&NewLine;