Cole Bridges, a 24-year-old U.S. Army soldier from Ohio, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempting to help the Islamic State group attack American troops. Bridges pleaded guilty in June 2023 to providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and attempting to murder U.S. soldiers. A federal judge in the Southern District of New York issued Bridges’ sentence, which also includes 10 years of supervised release. Prosecutors had sought 40 years imprisonment for Bridges.
Bridges, who joined the Army in 2019, was found chatting with someone posing as an Islamic State supporter, who turned out to be an FBI online covert agent. He provided training and guidance to the purported Islamic State fighters planning attacks and even sent diagrams of specific military maneuvers to maximize future attacks against American troops. Bridges recorded videos in military gear expressing support for the Islamic State and narrating propaganda speeches in support of an anticipated ambush on U.S. troops.
In 2021, Bridges was arrested by FBI agents at a Fort Stewart command post and subsequently indicted on the charges. He is currently held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Brig. Gen. Rhett R. Cox emphasized the importance of vigilance and reporting insider threats in ensuring the safety and security of the Army and the nation. Additionally, a 27-year-old Afghan national in Oklahoma was charged with planning a terrorist attack on Election Day on behalf of the Islamic State in a separate incident.
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