The United States Department of Justice on Wednesday ordered the arrest of Army soldier Cole James Bridges, for plotting terrorist plans against emblematic sites in New York and American soldiers in the Middle East.
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According to a statement from the prosecutor Audrey Strauss, the 20-year-old (resident of the state of Ohio) remains detained in Fort Stewart (Georgia).
He was accused of providing material support to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, as well as attempting to assassinate members of the US military.
According to the indictment, since 2019 Bridges began to buy propaganda materials that promote jihadists online, and through social networks expressed support for their ideology.
“Private First Class Cole James Bridges “betrayed the oath he swore” when he tried to supply ISIS with tactical military advice to ambush U.S. troops overseas, federal prosecutors in New York said Tuesday when announcing the criminal charges.” #JTTF #FBI #ARMYCI #NYPD https://t.co/dlu1EcI0RT
— Army Counterintelligence (@Real_ArmyCI)
January 20, 2021
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In October 2020, he began communicating with an FBI official, posing as an ISIS supporter with ties to the group’s militants in the Middle East, who were preparing to attack the United States.
The indictment records that he gave advice on potential targets in New York, including the September 11, 2011 Memorial, erected at the site of the Twin Towers in Manhattan.
Bridges also sent the undercover agent parts of the US Army Training Manual and taught him maneuvers aimed at “maximizing the lethality of attacks,” according to the text.
Days ago, the detained soldier recorded two videos in which he gave a speech next to an IS flag in support of the organization’s attack on US troops.
The charges brought against Bridges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison each. The detainee is expected to appear before a judge in Georgia on Thursday.
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