An American court has sentenced soldier Cole Bridges to 14 years in prison after his confession to assisting the terrorist organization ISIS in planning an ambush against American soldiers in the Middle East.
The U.S. Department of Justice stated, “24-year-old Cole Bridges was sentenced to 168 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for his attempts to provide logistical support to a foreign terrorist organization, aiming to kill U.S. military personnel in the Middle East.”
Judge Louis Lehman ruled that 14 years would be sufficient, noting that Bridges had requested a 40-year term for himself. However, it was revealed that he was not actually communicating with real terrorists but with an undercover FBI agent posing as an ISIS supporter. The Justice Department highlighted that Bridges had provided ISIS with tactical guidance for attacking and killing U.S. military personnel in the Middle East. He also provided advice on fortifying an ISIS camp for an ambush against American special forces, including rigging buildings with explosives to maximize casualties among U.S. troops.
Bridges pleaded guilty to the terrorism charges on June 14, 2023. He had enlisted in the U.S. Army around September 2019 and expressed frustration with serving in his country’s military. Approximately one year after his enlistment, Bridges began communicating with an undercover FBI agent, who he believed was a supporter of ISIS in the Middle East. He also shared parts of the U.S. Army training manual and combat tactics, believing these would be used by ISIS to plan future attacks.
