A US soldier has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison after admitting he tried to help ISIS plan attacks on New York City landmarks, including the Monument -the 9/11 memorial in Manhattan, as well as helping the terrorist group carry out more deadly attacks against it. US troops in the Middle East, according to court documents.
Cole Bridges has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization and attempting to assassinate members of the US military service, the US Attorney for the District of A South New York Damian Williams Friday. The 24-year-old previously pleaded guilty in June.
Bridges, a US Army private first class who enlisted around September 2019, had been seeking and consuming online material promoting jihadists since his time in the military. , according to a criminal complaint. He would also use social media to show his support for ISIS and jihad.
In October 2020, about a year after joining the military, Bridges began communicating via an encrypted messaging app with someone he believed to be an ISIS supporter, but was actually a an undercover FBI agent. In those messages, he expressed his frustration with the US military and his desire to help ISIS eliminate American soldiers, according to the criminal complaint.
In addition to providing portions of the Army’s training manual and instructions on US military tactics, federal prosecutors said Bridges provided advice on how best to carry out attacks, giving including possible targets in New York City. When asked about the most effective way to attack, Bridges replied: “Strike the heart of the enemy and establish a narrative and a clear message to the leaders.”
In a later exchange, Bridges offered to go to New York to meet with the ISIS fighter he believed he was in contact with. At that point, the conversation turned to possible 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 said “everything is so heavily guarded that I don’t know if it’s even possible to operate in New York City.”
Bridges, also known as Cole Gonzales, reportedly advised the agent to “choose his targets wisely” and asked him about other targets being considered. It was not immediately clear which government buildings were the subject of subsequent conversation, but Bridges said there was “not enough firepower” for them. That’s when the subject of the 9/11 Memorial was released, according to the criminal complaint.
The men came from Tajikistan to the United States across the southern border and had clean criminal records when they crossed, according to officials familiar with the case.
In December, Bridges began instructing the “ISIS” agent on how the group’s fighters could attack and kill US forces in the Middle East. That included mapping out specific weapon movements that would help terrorists carry out more deadly attacks against soldiers.
Bridges advised on how best to fortify the ISIS camp against a US attack, including planting explosives in some buildings intended to kill US troops, according to the complaint. In January 2021, he released a video of himself in a bulletproof vest standing in front of the ISIS flag and making a symbolic gesture of support for that group.
About a week later, Bridges posted a second video in which he used a voice machine to deliver a propaganda speech in support of an expected ISIS ambush on US troops.
Keywords such as “shooting US soldier” and “tragic jihadist” were found on his computer through a court order dated back to December 25, 2019, according to the criminal complaint. He is said to have updated his Facebook profile and background to reflect his views in August 2020. Pictures of the changes were included in the complaint (you can see them below).
This article was originally published in English on NBC 4 New York.click here to read
2024-10-12 05:14:00
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