(PatriotNews.net) – A U.S. Army soldier named Cole Bridges was recently sentenced to 14 years in prison for trying to help ISIS, a well-known terrorist group. Bridges, who is 24 and from Ohio, pleaded guilty to charges of terrorism in June 2023. He was caught by the FBI, who had posed as ISIS supporters online. During his trial, he shocked the court by asking for the maximum sentence of 40 years, admitting he knew what he did was wrong and saying he would regret it forever.
Bridges joined the Army in 2019 and served at Fort Stewart, Georgia, as a cavalry scout. But even before he enlisted, he had been looking into jihadist propaganda online. About a year into his Army service, he started chatting with the undercover FBI agent, thinking they were part of ISIS. He gave the agent tips on how to ambush U.S. soldiers and even shared military training information. He also advised them on how to target U.S. forces and provided details about how ISIS fighters could fortify their camps to resist U.S. attacks.
At one point, Bridges sent a video of himself wearing his Army body armor while standing in front of an ISIS flag, pledging his support to the group. In another video, he voiced his hopes for ISIS to succeed in ambushing U.S. troops.
Though Judge Lewis Liman acknowledged that Bridges had shown some remorse after his arrest, the court handed him the 14-year sentence. The judge made it clear that this punishment was meant to send a message to any other soldiers thinking of betraying their country.
Bridges’ lawyer argued that he had been isolated and depressed, which made him vulnerable to ISIS propaganda and manipulation by the FBI. She had requested a lighter sentence, given the four years Bridges had already spent in jail. However, the court decided that his actions, which put his fellow soldiers at risk, warranted a tougher punishment.
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