Army Soldier Sentenced to 14 Years for Plotting to Help ISIS Ambush U.S. Troops

Cole Bridges, a U.S. Army private, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempting to provide tactical support to ISIS.Photo byLevi Meir ClancyonUnsplash

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced today that U.S. Army Private First Class Cole Bridges, also known as Cole Gonzales, 24, of Stow, Ohio, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison.

Bridges was convicted of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and attempting to murder U.S. military service members by helping ISIS plan an ambush on U.S. troops in the Middle East.

Bridges, who pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges on June 14, 2023, joined the U.S. Army in September 2019 and was assigned as a cavalry scout in the Third Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

However, before he enlisted, Bridges began consuming online jihadist propaganda that promoted violence and extremism, the department says.

According to records filed in the case, by October 2020, he had started communicating with an undercover FBI online covert employee (OCE) posing as an ISIS supporter with connections to ISIS fighters in the Middle East.

During these communications, Bridges expressed his dissatisfaction with the U.S. military and his desire to aid ISIS in attacks on U.S. soldiers. He provided tactical guidance to the OCE, believing it would be shared with ISIS fighters.

Bridges also shared parts of a U.S. Army training manual and detailed combat tactics for use in ambushes on U.S. troops. His advice included strategies for fortifying ISIS encampments with explosives to maximize damage against U.S. Special Forces, according to the DOJ.

In December 2020, Bridges began giving detailed instructions to the OCE for conducting ISIS attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East. He diagrammed military maneuvers designed to increase the lethality of ISIS attacks on U.S. troops and suggested wiring buildings with explosives to ambush U.S. Special Forces, the department says.

By January 2021, Bridges sent a video of himself in U.S. Army body armor standing in front of an ISIS flag, signaling his support for the terrorist group. A week later, he sent a second video, using a voice manipulator to deliver a propaganda speech supporting an ISIS ambush against U.S. troops, according to the department.

“Cole Bridges violated his duty as a member of the U.S. Army by attempting to assist a terrorist organization that seeks to harm American soldiers,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. “This sentence sends a clear message that anyone who betrays their country and supports terrorism will face significant consequences.”