Posted on June 16, 2023

U.S. Soldier Admits to ISIS Plot to Kill American Troops, Hit Civilian Targets

Mike Glenn, Washington Times, June 15, 2023

A U.S. soldier is facing 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to using his Army training to help the ISIS terror group launch attacks against American soldiers in the Middle East and targets in the U.S., federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Pfc. Cole Bridges, also known as Cole Gonzales, admitted in court that he plotted to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria as part of a plot to kill U.S. military service members, according to the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

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He joined the Army in September 2019 and was assigned to Fort Stewart, Georgia, as a cavalry scout in the 3rd Infantry Division. Almost immediately, Bridges began researching information about jihadist groups and their violent ideology, including expressing his support for ISIS on social media, prosecutors said.

In October 2020, he began communicating online with an undercover FBI employee posing as an ISIS supporter in contact with fighters in the Middle East.

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Original Article