NYC Gazette

Cole Bridges, also known as Cole Gonzales, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to ISIS and attempting to murder U.S. military service members. The sentence was announced by Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Bridges pled guilty on June 14, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman.

According to Damian Williams, "Cole Bridges used his U.S. Army training to pursue a horrifying goal: the brutal murder of his fellow service members in a carefully plotted ambush." Williams emphasized that this act was a severe betrayal and highlighted the commitment of law enforcement and military partners in bringing individuals like Bridges to justice.

Bridges joined the U.S. Army around September 2019 as a cavalry scout in the Third Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Prior to joining the Army, he had begun researching jihadist propaganda online and expressing support for ISIS on social media.

In October 2020, Bridges started communicating with an FBI online covert employee posing as an ISIS supporter. During these interactions, he expressed frustration with the U.S. military and a desire to aid ISIS. He provided training and guidance on potential attack targets in New York City and shared portions of a U.S. Army training manual intended for use by ISIS.

By December 2020, Bridges was supplying instructions on attacking U.S. forces in the Middle East, including specific military maneuvers aimed at maximizing attack lethality against U.S troops. He also advised on fortifying an ISIS encampment for ambushing U.S Special Forces using explosives.

In January 2021, Bridges sent videos demonstrating his support for ISIS while wearing U.S Army body armor and standing before an ISIS-associated flag.

Alongside his prison term, Bridges will serve ten years of supervised release following incarceration.

Damian Williams commended efforts from various agencies including the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force comprising agents from multiple federal entities such as FBI field offices across different states along with local police departments among others involved throughout this investigation process.

The prosecution is being managed by Assistant U.S Attorneys Sam Adelsberg and Matthew Hellman from National Security & International Narcotics Unit alongside Trial Attorney Michael Dittoe under Department Justice's Counterterrorism Section.