NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A U.S. Army soldier who gave information on New York City terror targets and military intelligence to an FBI agent he believed was an ISIS member pleaded guilty to terror charges, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
Private First Class Cole Bridges, 22, admitted to recommending targets in New York City for terror attacks, including a sniper attack at the 9/11 Ground Zero memorial.
He also provided intelligence regarding Army training and tactics that he intended to help ISIS better combat the U.S. military.
Bridges enlisted around September 2019 and worked as a cavalry scout in the Third Infantry Division.
Prosecutors said he was already consuming extremist content and expressing support for ISIS online by 2019.
Bridges started communicating with an FBI agent posing as an ISIS member by October 2020.
Alongside suggestions for and information on potential terror attacks in New York City, Bridges sent the agent portions of a U.S. Army training manual, information on military tactics, diagrams of military structures and instructions on how best to attack U.S. forces.
In January 2021, Bridges sent a video of himself in U.S. Army body armor standing in front of an ISIS flag and a narrated voice-distorted speech supporting a hypothetical ambush of U.S. troops.
He pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to ISIS and attempting to murder U.S. military service members.
He faces up to 40 years in prison when he’s sentenced on Nov. 2.
Related
Related
Related
