A former Army soldier from Stow has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, the U.S. Department of Justice stated in a news release Friday.
Cole Bridges, also known as Cole Gonzales, 24, pleaded guilty to terrorism charges on June 14, 2023. He was accused of attempting to assist the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) to attack and kill U.S. soldiers in the Middle East.
His prison sentence will be followed by 10 years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Bridges joined the Army in September 2019 and was based in Fort Stewart, Georgia. Before joining, beginning in at least 2019, Bridges began reading online propaganda promoting jihadists and their violent ideology, and began to express support for ISIS and jihad on social media, the news release stated.
About one year after joining the Army, Bridges began communicating with an FBI investigator 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, a private first class who was assigned as an infantry cavalry scout, 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 investigator with portions of a U.S. Army training manual and guidance about military combat tactics.