He should be sent to death row at Leavenworth.
Cole Bridges, also known as Cole Gonzales, 24, of Stow, Ohio, was sentenced to 168 months in prison, followed by ten years of supervised release on Friday for attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and attempting to murder U.S. military service members.
Bridges pleaded guilty to terrorism charges on June 14, 2023.
According to a press release from the Department of Justice, “Before he joined the Army, beginning in at least 2019, Bridges began researching and consuming online propaganda promoting jihadists and their violent ideology, and began to express his support for ISIS and jihad on social media.”
“In or about October 2020, approximately one year after joining the Army, Bridges began communicating with an FBI online covert employee (the OCE), who was posing as an ISIS supporter in contact with ISIS fighters in the Middle East. During these communications, Bridges expressed his frustration with the U.S. military and his desire to aid ISIS. Bridges then provided training and guidance to purported ISIS fighters who were planning attacks, including advice about potential targets in New York City. Bridges also provided the OCE with portions of a U.S. Army training manual and guidance about military combat tactics, with the understanding that the materials would be used by ISIS in future attack planning.”
In 2020, Bridges began providing instructions for ISIS fighters to attack U.S. forces in the Middle East.
“Among other things, Bridges diagrammed specific military maneuvers intended to help ISIS fighters maximize the lethality of future attacks on U.S. troops,” the press release explains. “Bridges also provided advice about the best way to fortify an ISIS encampment to ambush U.S. Special Forces, including by wiring certain buildings with explosives to kill the U.S. troops.”In January 2021, Bridges provided a video of himself in his U.S. Army body armor, standing in front of an ISIS flag and gesturing his support. He also narrated a video of a propaganda speech supporting an ambush on U.S. troops.
Bridges had been facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The fucking traitor wanted to attack America as well:
A U.S. Soldier was sentenced to more than a decade in prison after admitting to trying to help ISIS plan attacks on New York City landmarks — including the 9/11 Memorial in Manhattan — as well as help the terrorist group carry out more deadly attacks on American troops in the Middle East, according to court documents.
Cole Bridges was sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization and attempting to murder U.S. military service members, said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams on Friday. The 24-year-old had previously pleaded guilty in June.
Bridges, a private first class in the U.S. Army who joined around Sept. 2019, had been searching and consuming online material that promoted jihadists since before his time in the military, a criminal complaint stated. He also would use social media to express his support for ISIS and jihad.
In Oct. 2020, about a year after joining the Army, Bridges began communicating over an encrypted messaging app with someone he believed to be an ISIS supporter, but was actually an FBI undercover agent. In those messages, he expressed frustration with the U.S. military and his desire to help ISIS take out American soldiers, according to the criminal complaint.
In addition to providing the undercover officer with portions of an Army training manual and guidance about U.S. military tactics, federal prosecutors said Bridges offered advice on how best to carry out attacks, including as it related to potential targets in New York City. When he was asked about the most effective way to conduct an attack, Bridges allegedly responded, “Striking the heart of the enemy, and setting a statement and a clear message to the leaders.”
In a later exchange, Bridges offered to come to New York to meet with the ISIS fighter with whom he thought he had been in contact. At that point, the conversation steered to potential targets in New York City, officials say.
In mid-November, the undercover agent sent Bridges photos of federal, local and foreign government buildings in and around the New York City area. That agent claimed “everything is so heavily guarded, I don’t know that it’s even possible to do an operation in NYC.”
Bridges, who was also known as Cole Gonzales, allegedly advised the agent “choose your targets wisely” and inquired about other potential targets under consideration. It wasn’t immediately clear which government buildings were the follow-up topic of conversation, but Bridges allegedly said there was “not enough firepower” for those. That was when the subject of the 9/11 Memorial was broached, the criminal complaint stated.
Traitors Bowe Bergdahl and Bradley Manning got a slap on the wrist, too. There’s a new pattern when it comes to betraying the country. Treason has been reduced to a misdemeanor.