A former U.S. Army soldier, Cole Bridges, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after attempting to provide material support to ISIS and plotting to help the terrorist organization launch deadly attacks on American troops. Bridges, who also goes by the name Cole Gonzales, hails from Stow, Ohio, and was sentenced on Friday to 168 months in prison, followed by ten years of supervised release. His guilty plea, which came on June 14, 2023, was the culmination of a lengthy investigation into his radicalization and plans to assist ISIS.
According to the Department of Justice, Bridges began his descent into extremism before joining the U.S. Army. In 2019, he became immersed in online propaganda promoting jihadist ideology, aligning himself with ISIS’s violent beliefs. The Justice Department’s press release outlines that during this time, Bridges openly expressed his support for ISIS on social media, a worrying sign of his burgeoning radicalization.
In October 2020, approximately a year after enlisting in the Army, Bridges began communicating with an FBI undercover agent who was posing as an ISIS supporter. Believing that he was engaging with someone connected to ISIS fighters in the Middle East, Bridges expressed his frustration with the U.S. military and made clear his desire to support ISIS.
Bridges’ communications with the undercover FBI agent went beyond mere words of frustration. He began offering practical advice and military expertise to help ISIS fighters carry out attacks. According to the Department of Justice, Bridges provided the undercover agent with portions of a U.S. Army training manual, detailing military combat tactics and strategies that could be used by ISIS. He also provided specific advice on potential targets in New York City, showing that his intentions were to help ISIS expand its terror operations domestically.
In 2020, Bridges escalated his involvement by offering guidance on how ISIS fighters could attack U.S. forces stationed in the Middle East. He shared diagrams and descriptions of military maneuvers, suggesting ways to increase the lethality of attacks on American troops. This included strategic advice on how to fortify ISIS encampments and set up ambushes against U.S. Special Forces. One of his chilling recommendations was to wire certain buildings with explosives to maximize casualties.
Bridges didn’t stop at tactical advice. In January 2021, he took his commitment to ISIS a step further, creating a video of himself dressed in U.S. Army body armor while standing in front of an ISIS flag. In this video, he openly gestured his support for the terrorist group. Adding to his propaganda efforts, Bridges also narrated a video speech encouraging an ambush on U.S. troops, further demonstrating his loyalty to ISIS and his willingness to help the group in any way possible.
Unbeknownst to Bridges, the FBI had been monitoring his actions from the start of his communications with the undercover agent. The sting operation that led to his eventual arrest was part of a broader effort by U.S. law enforcement to prevent homegrown terrorists from assisting foreign terrorist organizations like ISIS. When Bridges was finally taken into custody, investigators had already gathered a significant amount of evidence against him, including the videos, tactical diagrams, and military advice he had provided to the undercover agent.
Bridges had been facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but his 14-year sentence reflects the seriousness of the charges against him. While Bridges avoided the maximum penalty, he will spend over a decade behind bars, followed by another ten years of strict supervision after his release.
Bridges’ case highlights the ongoing threat of homegrown terrorism in the U.S., especially from individuals who become radicalized through online propaganda. ISIS and other extremist organizations have long used social media and online platforms to spread their ideology and recruit sympathizers. Bridges is one of several U.S. citizens in recent years who have been arrested and charged with attempting to provide support to terrorist groups like ISIS.
The Department of Justice emphasized that the U.S. government remains vigilant in its efforts to combat domestic terrorism. In this case, the use of undercover operations, coupled with thorough online surveillance, played a crucial role in preventing Bridges from assisting ISIS in carrying out deadly attacks on U.S. soldiers. FBI Director Christopher Wray has repeatedly stressed the importance of these operations in intercepting potential threats before they materialize into violence.
Bridges’ case has also raised questions within the military about how to identify and prevent radicalization among its ranks. Although rare, instances of service members being radicalized pose a serious national security threat, as they often have access to sensitive information and advanced training. The U.S. military has protocols in place to identify potential threats, but Bridges managed to slip through the cracks until the FBI intervened.
Cole Bridges’ sentencing is a sobering reminder of the dangers posed by domestic radicalization and the continued threat of ISIS-inspired attacks. His case underscores the importance of vigilance and the role of law enforcement in preventing these threats from turning into reality. While Bridges will serve 14 years in prison for his actions, the impact of his case will continue to resonate as the U.S. works to combat terrorism both abroad and at home.
Groomed by the FBI!
Absolutely the Enemy Within!
Veterans unite and go out and vote make waves about all the lies that have been put out there to confuse US and guide us to vote for thee wrong person who is doing their worst to turn this country into another 3rd world country by electing a non-vetted person to be allowed to run for president and also wants to ban free speech and OUR 2ND AMENDMENT right to not be infringed.
Deport all Muslims, citizens or not, from the West. Islam is antithetical to everything America and the west stands for.
Islam continues to attack the Christian world for over 1400 years after Christianity was established peacefully in the middle east 600 years before militant and political islam was spawned from hell.
General Miley was allowed to openly notify his Chinese counterpart of any attack the US planned! He did this twice, and nothing was said, and he bragged about having done that treasonist activity, to say the least. Then he supposedly puffed up his chest, announcing he was going to throw Trump and his family out of the WH living quarters if they did not leave on their own! This SOB deserves to be Court Martialed and the harshest level of punishment dealt to this communist sympathizer!
He should have been executed at GITMO already! Justice will come, for this we pray in our time, but, one way or another God will send him where he belongs for eternity. He and all the other traitors within will rot in hell. They serve Satan and will suffer with him forever.
I hated that son of a bitch Miley when he was in front of the committee to answer questions several years back, he should have been stripped of his rank, pay cut off, Citizenship removed and charged with collaboration with America’s enemy, lead out of the room in handcuffs and charged with Treason and executed.
All Military personnel should be charged the same.
But we’ll never see that happen with the panty waist, cowardly Republicans who nolonger represent We The People and do nothing to the Communist Democrats and Rinos and the Woke Transgenders within our Government and Military.
Quite right Brother. He is nothing but a lying Traitor!
GITMO and execution is all he actually deserves; but does anyone actually think this piece of crap will ever see justice in this now out of control country of ours with all of its lying fake politicians with no backbone of integrity?
Treason is punishable by death and he deserves it–what would ISIS do to his fellow soldiers –oh that’s right he is not a fellow soldier–he is the enemy. No punishment for the crime is the reason people do such as this they know they will not have to pay the ultimate price–but they do not care if someone else does
We used to execute traitors.
Jack and Brian; a wise man once told me, nobody gets away with anything in this world! Think about it, this is why God created us with a conscience so we know when we have betrayed or done someone a wrong! People that are criminal or evil minded grab or seize the spoils for the moment but will have eternity to remember their quilt and suffer for it never-ending anguish!
All we humans need to repent and be sorry for what we have done wrong, in some cases even punishment is warranted, so be it. Better to pay the price now and be truly sorry than not and end up in hell for eternity! Only an arrogant and prideful evildoer who is unrepentant ends up in such a horrible outcome.
CharlieSeattle; absolutely correct! Due to a Christmas Day confrontation with a muslim here is what needed to be said!
“Saying that Jesus is another prophet like Muhammad is blasphemous. First Jesus was not a mere prophet but was God Himself and therefore the Redeemer and Savior of Mankind as he said. Muhammad was only a supposed prophet and there is irrefutable evidence in the historical text of the time he lived that points to his being an outright liar and heretic as well as a criminal and child molester along with his being a polygamist! The following statements are highly accurate and actually proven. “In 632, only months before he died, Muhammad apparently met for the first time with a Christian community as such. An official delegation of Christians, probably led by a bishop, came to Mecca from Najran in Yemen. After engaging the Christians in discussion, the Prophet is said to have realized that Christian teachings are indeed incompatible with Islam, after which the revelation followed that only Islam is acceptable to God as a religion. The Quran also says very specifically that those who refer to Jesus as God are blasphemers, and that Christians saying that Christ is the son of God is an imitation of Jews, who earlier had said that Ezra is the son of God. According to the Quran Jesus was only a servant; Jesus the son of Mary was no more than an apostle of God. Quranic verses dealing with Jesus’ death have been interpreted differently by commentators, but generally they have been taken to mean that Jesus did not die by crucifixion. For Christians the Quran has thus served as a denial of Jesus’ incarnation and death on the cross and of the reality of the Trinity.” (Oxford University Press) These two points alone put Islam and the Muslims completely at odds with Jesus Christ and all Christians and are the enemies of such! Muhammad himself began this conflict and was the spoiler and Heretic directly attacking God’s plan as foretold by all the previous prophets going all the way back to Abraham. Things have been in conflict because of Muhammad ever since and are getting worse, this will not resolve until Islam is Chastised or obliterated as a fake religion started by a false prophet and therefore heretic! In Summary Muslims are in complete denial of what Jesus Christ said and who He was which makes them Anti-Christ and supportive of the Devil and all that is unholy. Basically Muhammad started this Blasphemy back in 632 AD and outright declared War on Christendom! Islam you yourself stated is an EMPIRE which puts it in the category of being a Nation not a Religion! It is not a religion that is backed up with solid historical evidence and prophecy over time by many prophets other than what Muhammad said, he made it all up, the heretic! Islam seeks to conquer and must be stopped!”
Muslims are waiting for their Mahdi to arrive to supposedly restore justice and destroy the world, a final mother of all battles! They await Satan.
Remember Army Traitor Burdole or Bergdole, then Woke sissy Traitor Miley, now Bridges, and nothing happened to them.! WTF is going on with our Military turning 360 degrees against our Nation.?
They took the Oath to defend the Constitution against all foreign and domestic enemies of the United States, under then Homosexual Muslim Obama the Military took a pay cut then the Communist Anti-American POS Biden decreased their pay again after President Trump gave them a Payraise putting them on food stamps then when they denied the death Jab they were given a Dishonorable Discharge and more veterans are living in the streets and under bridges and overpasses without help.!
And our Military are turning against Americans instead of fighting for our rights.?
Where are our Top Brass Officers who should have taken that Oath to heart and arrest the Communist Democrats and bring them before a tribunal.?
America will soon be left wide open for an attack by our Enemies and our Military and the Communist Government if this continues to the highest degree of Hatred and pure Evil.
Muslim Obama gave Iran $ billions and Bowed down to Muslim kings invited the Muslim Brotherhood to the White House and Biden/Harris gave $ billions of Military equipment to Isis and Classified information to Communist China for profits $ billions to Illegals and gang members and Americans get nothing but pain and suffering.
It’s evident now that the cowardly Republicans are allowing this to happen right in front of our eyes.!
May God help us and smite them down or give us strength to combat them.
You’re absolutely right about this Brother!
Let’s pray that multitudes of We Citizens keep waking up the others who are lost so we turn the course of our Nation under God around before it’s too late!
14 years? The cunt should be put through a wood chipper