U.S. Soldier Sentenced for IS Attempted Ambush Plot

Cole Bridges, a U.S. Army soldier, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State in ambushing U.S. troops. He was charged in 2021 and pleaded guilty to terrorism charges. Bridges will have a supervised release of 10 years after his imprisonment.

A U.S. Army soldier, Cole Bridges, known also as Cole Gonzales, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for his attempt to assist the Islamic State in staging a fatal ambush against American troops, the Department of Justice announced on Friday.

As a private first class at the time of his arrest, Bridges faced charges in 2021 for providing "military advice and guidance on how to kill fellow soldiers" to individuals he believed were linked to ISIS. In June 2023, he pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges.

Enlisting in the Army in 2019, Bridges had, prior to joining, started researching and engaging with online content that supported jihadist ideologies and began publicly endorsing ISIS and their objectives on social media, according to the department.

(With inputs from agencies.)