US Army Private First-Class Cole Bridges provided tactical guidance in attempt to help ISIS attack and murder US Service Members in the Middle East, US Justice department said Wednesday.
A statement by the department said, an “Ohio man today pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and attempting to murder US military service members based on his efforts to help the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) to attack and kill U.S. soldiers in the Middle East.” “Cole Bridges, aka Cole Gonzales, 22, of Stow, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman. According to court documents, Bridges joined the US Army in approximately September 2019 and was assigned as a cavalry scout in the Third Infantry Division based in Fort Stewart, Georgia,” the statement said.
“Beginning in at least 2019, Bridges began researching and consuming online propaganda promoting jihadists and their violent ideology. Bridges also expressed his support for ISIS and jihad on social media,” the statement added.
“Attempting to provide material support to ISIS carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and attempting to murder US military service members carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Bridges is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 2,” the statement said.
Source: Kuwait News Agency